The meeting of Sunni deputies, after which a consensus was reached on the amnesty law, on July 30, 2026. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea said Friday that he supports the amnesty bill that won the backing of Sunni MPs who met on Thursday, after several amendments were introduced.
In a statement, Geagea called on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to convene a session "as soon as possible" with the amnesty bill on the agenda, "in order to restore justice and put an end to an injustice that has persisted for many years."
On Thursday, an expanded meeting of Sunni MPs was held in Parliament, attended by MPs Bilal Abdallah, Nabil Badr, Bilal Hosheimi, Adnane Traboulsi, Abdel Rahmane Bizri, Ahmad Kheir, Imad Hout, and Ihab Matar.
MP Imad Hout outlined four amendments that secured consensus: revising the draft law abolishing the death penalty so that it does not affect the general amnesty law; limiting cases in which the existence of a personal claim blocks a reduction in sentence to aggravated homicides defined under the Penal Code ; releasing detainees held for more than 12 years without a final verdict while allowing their trials to continue as they remain free ; and calling on the Prime Minister to ensure implementation of Article 108 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, notably through a circular from the public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, oversight by the Judicial Inspection, and periodic reports from prosecutors on prolonged detentions.
Parliament, which met on July 15 and 16, failed to pass the general amnesty law after a lack of quorum when several Sunni MPs left the session, followed by the Lebanese Forces.
At the time of the debate, the Sunni community, which are firm supporters of the amnesty law, was deeply divided on the legislation that should be adopted. Some MPs — most of whom boycotted the parliamentary session — were advocating for the release of the greatest possible number of detainees, including Salafist Ahmad al-Assir, who has been imprisoned since 2015 for taking part in fighting against the army in Abra in 2013.
In a statement released last week, Lebanese Forces reiterated their support for an "amnesty law that has the consensus of the majority of Sunni MPs," while Geagea rejected accusations from Sunni lawmakers that his party was responsible for the bill’s failure.
