In Btedei, al-Rahi Urges Jaafar Clan to Hand Over Killers of Fakhri Couple
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday urged the state to fulfill justice in the murder of Sobhi and Nadimeh Fakhri, as he called on the Jaafar family to hand over the killers of the couple and rejected any “political cover.”
“We express our full solidarity with you and with all the residents of Btedei, Deir al-Ahmar and the entire region,” al-Rahi said in the northern Bekaa town of Btedei, after offering condolences to the Fakhri family.
“The crime was committed in cold blood in the early morning hours and it was an attack against the entire region, which requires us to call on the state to fulfill justice,” the patriarch added.
He was referring to the November 15 deadly incident in Btedei, during which the couple were killed at the hands of fugitives from the Jaafar family who were fleeing army troops.
The gunmen entered the family's house with the intent of taking their vehicle but the tenants showed resistance, which prompted the armed men to shoot the couple and their son.
“We tell the Jaafar family that they have the duty of respecting justice and facilitating the handing over of the culprits. We are not demanding this due to malice or hatred,” al-Rahi added.
“It is not vengeance that has pushed us to demand the handing over of the perpetrators, but we believe that only justice can provide life for everyone. There is no justice without peace and peace can only be reached through justice,” the patriarch went on to say.
He stressed that “there can be no forgiveness and reconciliation without justice.”
“Justice is what leads to forgiveness, or else we cannot live in peace,” al-Rahi added, saluting all the mediators “who are working with good intentions in order to hand over the killers and fulfill justice.”
“I hope the Jaafar family will hear us and I hope they will help us by handing over the killers,” added al-Rahi.
Slamming perceived political protection for the killers, the patriarch added: “We tell every official and every politician who is providing political cover to criminals that this issue is rejected.”
“No one is bigger than divine justice and the guilt of those covering up the crime is bigger. They would be killing Sobhi and Nadimeh Fakhri twice,” al-Rahi warned.
He underlined that all attacks on the army are “unacceptable.”
Warning against letting the "law of the jungle" reign over the country, al-Rahi cautioned that the Bekaa region “cannot live in peace if the state does not want to bring all criminals to justice.”
“One does not know anymore when they will be attacked by others or when their cars will be stolen,” the patriarch lamented.
The residents of Btedei had warned they would go after the criminals if authorities fail to arrest them. They held the Jaafar clan responsible for the crime.
Y.R.
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