Amnesty International condemns Lebanon’s use of French weapons to suppress peaceful demonstrations

On Thursday, Amnesty International urged Paris to suspend the export of illegal weapons to Beirut unless it agrees to use them in accordance with international law, noting that Lebanese security services have used French-made weapons to suppress peaceful protesters. .

“France has for years been providing the Lebanese security forces with law enforcement equipment that they have used to commit or facilitate the commission of serious human rights violations,” said Emeric Elwyn, defense officer for arms control, from the French branch of Amnesty International in a report.

French authorities confirmed on Thursday that these exports are subject to “strict control and scrutiny in each individual case, in line with international obligations.”

“This is the case, especially in Lebanon, which is going through a serious economic, social and political crisis, and whose stability is essential for the entire region,” said a spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, noting France’s adherence to “respect the right to demonstrate “.

Paris is providing support to the Lebanese army and the Lebanese internal security forces “to enable them to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence and stability,” the spokeswoman added.

The Amnesty International Crisis Evidence Laboratory and the Digital Verification Authority have verified 101 video clips of protests that erupted in the summer of 2015 due to outrage over mismanagement of the country’s waste crisis and unprecedented demonstrations in Lebanon as of October 17, 2019 economic collapse and failure of class political affairs in the management of the country’s affairs.

The organization spoke of the “shameful role” of French arms. It reported that “no less than a thousand protesters were injured due to the illegal use of force by the Lebanese security forces, which in many cases used French-made police weapons, including chemical irritants such as tear gas and kinetic projectiles such as rubber bullets. . And associated pitchers. “

“The French authorities must inform the Lebanese security forces that they will not be able to resume exports unless they can demonstrate that this equipment is being used in accordance with international law and standards on the use of force and the right to freedom. freedom of peaceful assembly “. Elwen said.

He added: “One way to demonstrate this is to demonstrate full responsibility for past violations and to provide adequate compensation to the victims of the violations.”

The organization documented that, during the past year, the security forces “fired tear gas canisters directly at the protesters; this is an extremely illegal and dangerous practice. They also fired at them from a moving vehicle, making it impossible to control their protests. shots”. This caused “serious head and upper body injuries among the protesters.”

The organization condemned the work of the Lebanese security forces “in a climate of impunity”. He stressed that “no effective investigation has been carried out into the illegal use of weapons, including those made in France, against peaceful protesters, and the judicial authorities have not held any member of the security forces responsible.”