Internal Security Forces cars in Beirut. (Credit: AFP Archive)
The murder of Raya François Chidiac on Sept. 22, 2017, left a lasting mark on the northern Lebanese town of Miziara.Chidiac was 26 years old — the same age as her killer. She was engaged and due to be married the following summer. Her murder shocked the close-knit community and reignited tensions over the presence of Syrian refugees. In the days that followed, most Syrians living in the village left for nearby Zgharta.Nearly nine years later, the case has reached its conclusion. Last week, the North Lebanon Criminal Court, headed by Judge Rabih Houssami, sentenced Syrian national Bassel Attieh al-Hamdeh — now in his early 30s — to death after convicting him of premeditated murder, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).The death sentence is unlikely to be carried out as the Lebanese Parliament abolished capital...
The murder of Raya François Chidiac on Sept. 22, 2017, left a lasting mark on the northern Lebanese town of Miziara.Chidiac was 26 years old — the same age as her killer. She was engaged and due to be married the following summer. Her murder shocked the close-knit community and reignited tensions over the presence of Syrian refugees. In the days that followed, most Syrians living in the village left for nearby Zgharta.Nearly nine years later, the case has reached its conclusion. Last week, the North Lebanon Criminal Court, headed by Judge Rabih Houssami, sentenced Syrian national Bassel Attieh al-Hamdeh — now in his early 30s — to death after convicting him of premeditated murder, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).The death sentence is unlikely to be carried out as the Lebanese Parliament abolished...
