From the Daily Star
By IRIN News.org
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
BEIRUT: Lebanon needs a new law banning sectarian prejudice and incitement,
to help heal rifts that widened after last week's fighting between
opposition and pro-government forces, the Beirut-based Khiam Rehabilitation
Center said. The Khiam Center's call for such a law was made against a
backdrop of fears among citizens that, unless checked, sectarian incitement
might unleash another wave of killings as in the 1975-1990 Civil War which
had serious humanitarian consequences.
The Khiam Center and New-York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) have both
condemned attacks on civilians and violations of international humanitarian
law during the conflict, which broke out on May 7 after the government tried
to ban the opposition Hizbullah's communications network and remove the
airport security chief, viewed as an ally of the group.
"There is a severe psychological crisis within the citizens, as well as a
serious sectarian rift that will have devastating consequences, especially
in Beirut, due to abuses against citizens," Khiam said in a statement issued
on Sunday.
HRW called for impartial investigations of the violations, which it said
included kidnappings, summary executions and the killing of at least 12
unarmed people.
At least 65 people were killed in total and 250 wounded.
Lebanese leaders meeting in Qatar to try to resolve the 18-month political
crisis that erupted in violence must not try to shield supporters suspected
of crimes, HRW said in a statement, also issued on Sunday.
"We're talking about this now because the leaders in Doha are just trying to
get seats in the next government, or arrange the electoral law so they can
win," Mohammad Safa, general secretary of the Khiam Center,
told IRIN.
Safa pointed out that the Taif agreement that ended the country's
1975-1990 Civil War called for the establishment of a national body to
oversee the phasing out of the sectarian political system.
"But no one's talking about that any more," Safa said. "Last week's events
didn't fall from the sky, they're a result of this sectarian structure. If
we don't change it, we'll find that this was just the latest chapter of a
civil war."
Incidents documented by Khiam showed gunmen on both sides were checked for
signs of sectarian affiliation at impromptu roadblocks, a worrying
throw-back to the civil war. Lebanese ID cards no longer denote the bearer's
sect, but it can often be guessed by the name.
Khiam called on the two sides to abide by international laws concerning the
expulsion of civilians in armed conflict, respect freedom of opinion and
refrain from resorting to arms to resolve political differences.
Both groups said supporters of the US- and Saudi-backed government and those
of the opposition led by Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hizbullah had attacked
civilians.
"Accounts of abuses by the gunmen are spreading like wildfire and raising
tensions," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at HRW, in the
statement. "Unless the state acts quickly to hold the perpetrators
accountable, there are likely to be further reprisals." - IRIN
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