HRW Appeals to Lebanon over Syrian Spillover in Tripoli
An international human rights organization has urged Lebanon to rein in sectarian tensions that have been on the rise amid a spillover of Syria's civil war.
Human Rights Watch said Friday that authorities should better protect minority Alawites — members of an offshoot Shiite sect — who are increasingly coming under attack by Sunnis in the northern city of Tripoli.
The New York-based watchdog said Alawites in Tripoli's Jabal Mohsen district have been beaten and stabbed, and the whole community has endured gunbattles and mortar attacks over the past year.
Syria's nearly 3-year-old conflict has deepened sectarian tensions in Lebanon, where factions loyal to Syria's warring sides often clash.
Sunnis support Syrian rebels trying to topple President Bashar Assad's government, which is dominated by Alawites.
“Lebanese authorities should take all feasible steps to protect Tripoli residents by confiscating weapons that have been used to kill residents such as mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, and automatic weapons, arresting and prosecuting gunmen, and maintaining an active security presence in all communities,” HRW said.
“With battles going on in Tripoli and with people being targeted, beaten, knifed, and killed, the Lebanese government can’t afford to sit on its hands,” said deputy Middle East director at HRW Joe Stork.
“It needs to start arresting and prosecuting the people behind the violence in Tripoli and confiscate their weapons.”
The organization also criticized the government’s security plan for the city, saying it was “weak.”
20 December 2013, 10:51
33
Aux armes, citoyens,
Formez vos bataillons,
Marchons, marchons !
Qu’un sang impur iranien
Abreuve nos sillons !...
20 December 2013, 13:28
12
il parait que tu as fait du latin? tu dois connaitre le mot "dēbilis" alors :)
je comprend pas cette obsession de vouloir trucider de l'iranien, mais si tu en as tellement envie, va en iran parce qu’ici il n'y en a pas. tout ce qu'il y a ce sont des citoyens libanais qui sont en train de se faire massacrer gratuitement, pendant que des idiots essaient de justifier ca avec toutes sortes de prétextes.
20 December 2013, 14:47
12
toi tu te fous de la gueule de qui? dabord on parle de tripoli dans l'article, et les tripolitains sont libanais que ca te plaise ou non, qu'ils vivient a jabal mohsen ou a bab el tabbaneh.
ensuite si tu veux elargir au liban, le hezbollah et tous ses membres sont aussi libanais, encore une fois, que ca te plaise ou non.
20 December 2013, 14:49
22
si beneficier du soutient d'une puissance etrangere fait de toi un etranger, alors tout le 14 mars est saoudien et israelien, et a mon avis c'est bien pire qu'iranien, vu que les iraniens n'ont jamais fait du mal a ce pays.
20 December 2013, 15:29
31
Mowaten. Les iraniens n'ont jamais fait du mal a ce pays?
Le financement d'une milice armée qui decide pour nous de la guerre et de la paix, qui a son propre telecom, sa propre douane, et sa propre electricite, qui fait un mini coup d'etat chaque fois que notre systeme democratique ne va pas ds sa direction, c'est quoi pour toi?
Les iraniens et leurs milices sont la source de la plupart de nos maux.
20 December 2013, 19:13
02
c'est quoi pour moi? de la propagande et une interpretation volontairement negative. l'existence d'une resistance a ses inconvenients, personne ne dit le contraire, mais liberer et defendre un pays contre une des premieres puissances mondiale ne vient pas sans un cout. cela dit le hezbollah n'a jamais demande au reste du liban d'en supporter les frais, c'est israel qui a deliberement fait le choix de la punition collective et du chantage, ciblant les civils et les infrastructures.
en tant que libanais on devrait faire ces reproches a ceux qui nous attaquent, pas ceux qui nous defendent.
pour le reseau de telecom il est de nature purement tactique et militaire, et ne fait de tort a personne au liban, cette obsession dessus n'est qu'un pretexte pour attaquer le hezb.
20 December 2013, 12:04
43
i will take it upon myself to bash any allawi i come across.
if any sunni or christian wants to ally with them, they can get effed.
20 December 2013, 12:34
31
your m8/syrian/iranian friends are the cause, he's a natural reaction. but knowing terminator, he's only expressing his anger and frustration. the dangerous people drive black SUVs and skin + desecrate people including kids in syria and lebanon. they have a yellow flag with a green AK 47 as a logo.
20 December 2013, 12:48
14
My "m8/syrian/iranian friends" would likely respond by saying "with a friend like this, who needs enemies." I am opposed to their actions and threats as I am opposed to those by terminator. Either we call and work for a truly democratic and independent state with all citizens equal under the law or we are simply failing ourselves, our families and our people.
20 December 2013, 12:59
32
nice discourse rafehh, very well. let's judge criminals. if you manage to catch them of have the ISF/army do it, then we'll be on the right course. until then, you're going to get another million terminators in lebanon.
20 December 2013, 13:29
22
terminator: big words on internet on internet are easy. i dare you to do it.
21 December 2013, 18:15
00
just what i was saying, you're only tough behind your keyboard. i pity you.
20 December 2013, 12:23
13
Naharnet - can you complain to the relevant authorities about this joker (terminator). You must have is IP address logged.
20 December 2013, 12:24
03
Threats of imminent physical harm is illegal in almost every jurisdiction.
20 December 2013, 14:51
11
ice-boy you're a troll, everybody knows it by now. who are you still trying to fool?
