Relatives of Kidnapped Lebanese Pilgrims Close Shops Owned by Syrians
The families of nine Lebanese pilgrims abducted by rebels in Syria closed on Friday the shops owned by Syrians in a neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs pending the release of their loved ones.
Sheikh Abbas Zgheib, who has been tasked by the Higher Islamic Shiite Council to follow up the case of the men abducted in May last year, told the National News Agency that the closure of the shops in Hay el-Sellom is a first step in the protest aimed at pressuring the involved parties to set the pilgrims free.
“Turkey has an important role to play to bring the case to its closure,” said Zgheib.
Turkey is a strong backer of the revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad. It has previously claimed that it was mediating for their release.
“From now on it's forbidden for Syrians to work in our areas,” one angry protester told LBCI TV. He threatened Syrians by saying they should run for their lives.
The protester also slammed Turkey and dubbed the Turkish ambassador a “liar.”
Last month, the relatives of the pilgrims held a protest near the Arab Justice Ministers headquarters in the Sami Solh area before briefly blocking the road near the Justice Palace.
President Michel Suleiman also discussed the issue in separate meetings with Qatar's emir and the Turkish foreign minister on the sidelines of the Arab League summit.
Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo province in May 2012 on their way back home by land from Iran.
Since then, two of them have been released, while the remaining nine are held in the town of Aazaz in Aleppo.
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