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Demonstrators Demand Full Investigation of 17,000 Missing Lebanese Citizens
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| Lebanese mothers hold pictures of their missing sons in a demonstration on April 13 |
On April 13, the 25th anniversary of the start of the Lebanese civil war, over one thousand demonstrators gathered in Martyrs' Square to demand that the Lebanese government devote more resources to investigating the fate of 17,000 Lebanese civilians who have disappeared since 1975. Many mothers whose sons and daughters disappeared during the conflict attended the demonstration, several of whom claimed that their loved ones are in Syrian prisons.
A previous demonstration by relatives of the 17,000 missing outside Cabinet headquarters on April 12 resulted in a violent crackdown by security forces. "It was like a war zone and as if we were the enemy. One sidewalk was cordoned off and others were full of military personnel," said Wadad Halwani, head of the Committee for the Families of the Kidnapped and Missing During the War.1
"The Lebanese and Syrian governments should use this anniversary to commit themselves to serious investigations," said Hanny Megally, executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, on April 13. The Syrian government, she said, must account fully for all individuals in its custody, make their names public and "release immediately and unconditionally" those who are held illegally.2 Human Rights Watch has repeatedly requested information on the whereabouts of Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons, but Damascus has refused to reply.
As a result of weekly vigils held by the Committee for the Families of the Kidnapped and Missing During the War since October 1999, the government established an official commission of five military and intelligence officers charged with investigating the 17,000 disappearances. However, to the consternation of Lebanese and international human rights activists, the board has been given only three months to submit a report on the issue. "The commission cannot conceivably determine the fate or whereabouts of 17,000 people in such a short time," said Megally. "Eyewitness testimony and other evidence must be carefully collected on a case by case basis in order to account for each missing person. Those assigned this important work must have complete independence, and be provided with the staff and other resources required to carry out thorough, effective, and transparent investigations in which the public will have confidence."
1 The Daily Star (Beirut), 13 April 2000.
2 Press Release, Human Rights Watch, 13 April 2000.
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