Families of Lebanese Missing in Syria Call on Ibrahim to Intervene
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The families of Lebanese nationals missing in Syria, which Syrian authorities refuse to recognize their presence in the regime's prisons, called on General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim to tackle the matter with the regime of the neighboring country.
According to a report published in An Nahar newspaper on Thursday the relatives demanded the release of the kins and the handing over of the bodies of those who were killed.
The families called on Ibrahim to intervene over his experience in resolving the cases of the political abductees.
The newspaper said that the families reject any attempts to politicize their cause or exploiting it.
The families rejected any negotiations, reiterating that they want the fate of their relatives to be revealed.
Ibrahim led negotiations in 2013 to free nine Lebanese pilgrims who were kidnapped in Syria and was involved in the release of a group of nuns abducted from the Syrian town of Maalula.
On Sunday, the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat revealed the fate of four Lebanese nationals missing in Syria out of 622 names.
The four men identified as Salim Salamah, Kozhaya Shehwan, Abdul Nasser al-Masri and Raef Faraj, were reportedly killed according to four official Syrian documents.
For over 20 years, more than 600 families -- Lebanese and Palestinian, Muslim and Christian -- have demanded authorities reveal the fate of thousands of political prisoners believed to have disappeared at the hands of Syrian troops who entered Lebanon shortly after the outbreak of the 1975-1990 civil war.
Successive Lebanese governments have made apparent attempts to address the issue, even including it in cabinet programs.
Rights groups say thousands of men, women and children disappeared at the hands of Hafez Assad, Bashar's predecessor and late father, during the civil war, a spiraling bloodbath which tore Lebanon apart on confessional lines.
Syria withdrew from its smaller neighbor in 2005 under massive international pressure over the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri.
The Assad dynasty has long denied holding any prisoners of conscience, but on four different occasions between 1976 and 2000 has released Lebanese who had been held in Syrian prisons.
While Syria declared it no longer had any Lebanese detainees after the prisoner release in 2000, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem made a statement to the contrary during a fence-mending trip to Lebanon in 2008.
"Those who have waited more than 30 years since the start of the (Lebanese) civil war can wait another few weeks," Muallem said at the time.
20 March 2014, 14:40
23
Poor families. THey are law abiding (they do not cclose roads and burn tires). They are unarmed (they do not kidnap Syrian regime loyalists to exxchange them with their sons and daughters), and they gave up on asking Aoun for help as he already told them there are no prisoners held by Bachar.
20 March 2014, 08:10
78
One of the greatest tragedies of modern day Lebanon are these missing persons.
I hope a concerted political effort takes place to liberate or at least tell the fate of these resistance heroes.
20 March 2014, 08:15
84
what tragedy? didn't Aoun pinky swear that there are no Lebanese prisoners in Syria???
what a truly sad fate, and i sincerely hope that their families get some closure, but it is extra sad because most of them are Aoun's men.
20 March 2014, 09:41
76
http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/859688/un-opposant-syrien-menace-de-publier-des-documents-prouvant-comment-aoun-a-profite-des-detenus-en-syrie-.html
20 March 2014, 12:08
75
Distort events??? And you call yourself an fpmer? His words are clear for you to look up when he visited Syria. If you choose look it up GREAT. I have no time to do your homework for you. And if you choose not to you can stay in your shell and live your mouth fed charade for as long as you like. At the end it won't change the reality of his words.
20 March 2014, 13:03
22
FT there is no way you can deny that Lebanese were not kidnapped by the regime for politics... Many of us have family this happened to. I know post Syrian occupation it did not impact Shiites the same way but this is one of the reasons many of us are anti-Assad.
20 March 2014, 13:37
73
FT, when Aoun said that Bashar told him there were no Lebanese political prisoners and Aoun repeats it, it means he bought into it, or is agreeing with this statement.
So you are telling me that you are perfectly ok with Aoun going to Syria, having a pow wow with bashar, and bashar telling him, hey buddy, we dont have any Lebanese prisoners, scouts honor.. cross my heart and hope to die... and aoun walks out of that meeting and stands in front of cameras and says, hey folks bashar told me there were no prisoners in syria.. that does NOT mean he is agreeing with what bashar has to say?? Aoun could not have manned up and say i do not believe a word this two timer says? and as i have said in France MANY MANY times... there ARE Lebanese prisoners in Syria? (not to mention ALLLLLLLLLLL the other things he said of Syria in France)
Is he not held accountable? as i have said before FT, you have immense intelligence, but when it comes to Aoun you just go blank.
20 March 2014, 14:40
73
my interpretations are borne of my hatred of Aoun... sure FT.. as i have said on many occasions when it comes to Aoun you just go blank. go ahead and keep on coming up with your excuses... anything to justify your blind following of this or that man.. just like the sheep you claim everyone else to be...
and there you go again.. m14.. lump em all into one group everybody who is m8 is smart, good looking, and patriotic... everyone in m14, is short, fat stupid and an israeli traitor.. good job on the binary-ness...
and p.s. if i am not mistaken the visit was in december 2008... civil war? what civil war?
p.p.s. m14 has been asking since 2005 to demarcate... also civil war eh?
21 March 2014, 01:06
00
All of you guys are stupid. The problem is both M14 and M8. These are the same people who led the militias to slaughter each other in the civil war. What the hell is the difference between now and back then? There is none.
20 March 2014, 10:24
74
why was my comment deleted? naharnet do you read the comments before deciding if it is deleted or not? or just because it is reported?
as i said.. Aoun swore and guaranteed that there were no prisoners in syria, which is sad because most of those who are, or were, in syrian jails are his own men and followers..
may God give the families closure.
20 March 2014, 09:52
87
Uhuh, was that why the nuns were freed and the kidnappers' demands met? Interesting.
