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RCPL
June 2005 Newsletter includes the following items:
1. First parliamentary
election after syrian withdrawal from Lebanon
2. Series of
explosion targeted anti-syrian figures
3.
Hundreds of Lebanese still detained illegally in Syria
1. First parliamentary election after syrian withdrawal from
Lebanon
Parliamentary elections took place in Lebanon four successive Sundays
starting on May 29 and ending on june 19. These elections mark the first
time in 30 years that Lebanese have voted without the presence of troops
from neighboring Syria. Observers from different countries including EU,
Canada were deployed in various parts of Lebanon.
While some reports claimed that some parties used their power to buy
votes, RCPL urges the international observers to investigate these
cases.
2. Series of explosion targeted anti-syrian figures
On june 2, a car bomb exploded in Achrafieh in a heavily populated
commercial center, targeted Samir Kassir, a journalist for Al-Nahar and
a long outspoken critic of Syria and pro-Syrian government officials.
On june 21, Georges Hawi, a former Communist Party chief who was a harsh
critic of Syrian meddling in Lebanese affairs, was killed in a bomb as
he rode in his car in Beirut.
These explosions came after a series of explosions targeted commercial
and religious sites in Kaslik, Jdeideh, Broumana, Jounieh and Dhour El-Chwair
since March 2005.
RCPL condemns the terrorist attacks and hopes the perpetrators are
brought to justice. RCPL re-calls on the Lebanese government and
security forces to take effective action to ensure the security of all
citizens.
3. Hundreds of Lebanese still detained illegally in
Syria
On April 11, relatives of about 280 Lebanese citizens imprisoned in
Syria began an open-ended hunger strike in front of the headquarters of
the United Nations in Beirut, demanding the release of all Lebanese
detainees. Since than, and after the Syrian withdrawal, this number has
been increased to 600 lebaneses illegally detained in Syria.
More than two months have been passed since the beginning of the strike
and Syrian authorities are always denying the existence of the
prisoners, and the Lebanese government is ignoring the issue.
RCPL is concerned about the fate of hundreds of lebaneses still detained
in Syria since 1975 and believes that Syria must release immediately all
lebanese detainees from its prison and return the remains of detainees
killed in Syrian prisons under torture or by execution.
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