Jumblat Calls for Preserving Rights of Syrian Activists in Lebanon

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat condemned on Wednesday the kidnapping of Syrian opposition members in Lebanon, wondering if Lebanon is facing a new phase of the “infamous” security hegemony that controlled the country in the past.

He said in a statement: “All Syrian activists have the right to express their opinions freely without being subject to any harassment or pressure from any side.”

He questioned the credibility of reports on the abduction of 13 Syrians in Lebanon, while the fate of the Jassem brothers, Shebli al-Aysami, and others remains unknown.

“The PSP asserts the right for political asylum as stipulated in the Lebanese constitution and laws, which calls for respecting the freedom of political expression in accordance with Lebanon’s historic role as a country that protects diversity and freedoms,” the MP stressed.

Furthermore, Jumblat renewed the party’s “absolute” rejection of using Lebanon for any actions that may harm Syria’s security and stability.

“The party confirms its commitment to the army’s great national role in confronting Israel, but it also plays a role in maintaining the country’s borders and it is necessary to keep it out of the conflict in Syria and remain focused on Lebanon’s internal stability and security,” he noted.

The four Jassem brothers were abducted from outside the Baabda Serail earlier this year.

Internal Security Forces investigations said that the head of the Syrian Embassy guard unit, First Lt. Salah Hajj, was the ringleader of the group that abducted the brothers.

In October, ISF chief Ashraf Rifi told the parliamentary human rights committee that the ISF had "dangerous information" linking the Syrian Embassy to the disappearance of Syrian opposition member Shebli al-Aisamy in Aley in May.

But Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali denied any involvement and challenged Rifi to provide evidence.