Families of Men Kidnapped in Syria Block Ministry Road to Press for Demands

The families of Lebanese pilgrims, who were kidnapped in May in Syria, briefly blocked on Friday the road near the Interior Ministry in Beirut's Hamra thoroughfare.

Protesters demanded authorities to swiftly resolve the matter, warning of further endeavors until the 9 remaining men are released.

Later, a delegation held talks with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.

He told reporters after the meeting that discussions focused on the progress achieved in resolving the issue.

“I cannot disclose the details to the media. There are difficulties, but we are resolving them one by one. We have great hope in this matter,” Charbel said.

Abou Ibrahim, the head of the so-called Northern Storm Brigade, kidnapped eleven Lebanese pilgrims in the northern province of Aleppo on May 22 as they were returning home from Iran.

One abductee was released in August in what his captors said was a “goodwill” gesture and another was released in September.

The kidnappers had repeatedly linked the release of the Lebanese captives to Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a close ally of the Syrian regime, apologizing over his stances on the Syrian revolt.

Protesters urged al-Mustaqbal MP Oqab Saqr and former PM Saad Hariri to follow up the matter, stressing that “they have nothing to do with the political rift in the country.”

They held al-Akhbar newspaper and OTV channel responsible for delaying the release of four men after publishing false audio recordings for Saqr.

On Thursday, Saqr denied that he was striking an arms deal in audio recordings that were broadcast and published by OTV channel and al-Akhbar newspaper, saying he was negotiating with a rebel identified as Abu Nehman the release of the remaining Lebanese pilgrims.