Beirut: The Lebanese Parliament approved a draft law granting a general amnesty and reducing the terms of some sentences exceptionally, after introducing amendments to it, in a move described as having humanitarian and political dimensions.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, the law was passed during the legislative session resumed by the Parliament, chaired by its Speaker, Nabih Berri, to continue reviewing draft laws and proposals on the agenda. The session witnessed the withdrawal of MPs from the Free Patriotic Movement and members of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, in protest against the absence of Defense Minister Michel Mansour, who was supposed to deliver the army’s statement regarding the general amnesty file.
In this context, MP Ibrahim Mousawi said, following the withdrawal of the Loyalty to the Resistance members, “We withdrew for the same reasons as the Free Patriotic Movement MPs. No one has the right to prevent a minister from expressing his opinion.” MP Salim Aoun considered that “the Minister of Defense is being prevented from giving the opinion of the Lebanese army and his ministry,” explaining that “the decision to withdraw came in rejection of what he described as a violation being recorded in the presence of the MPs.”
MP Ibrahim Kanaan stated that he “withdrew from the session in protest against what he considered a precedent of preventing the Minister of Defense from speaking.” MP Simon Abi Ramia stressed that the discussion goes beyond the number of prisoners that the law will cover, saying, “The question today is not how many prisoners we should release, but what kind of state do we want to build?” He added, “We are against the general amnesty becoming a substitute for justice.”
In contrast, MP Bilal Abdullah described the passage of the general amnesty law as a “historic act,” adding that “the amnesty issue has a humanitarian dimension before it has a sectarian one.” He stated that “passing the law closes a political chapter in which a segment of the Lebanese population was targeted by the regime, security apparatuses, and the military court.”
In parallel with the amnesty issue, Parliament continued its agenda, with MPs beginning to study and discuss the draft law contained in Decree No. 6503, which pertains to amending certain articles of the law on reforming and reorganizing the banking sector in Lebanon.