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A Call to the Opposition Parties in
Lebanon
Paris, January 21, 2005
The SOLIDA Movement (Support of Lebanese Detained Arbitrarily) is
closely monitoring the evolution of the political situation in
Lebanon. At a time when all so-called “Opposition” parties appear
optimistic that the democratization of Lebanon is at hand, SOLIDA
remains gravely preoccupied by the fact that the issue of the
disappeared and missing Lebanese, as well as those held in Syria, is
virtually never raised by most of those parties.
Perhaps some political figures presume that those questions will soon
be relegated to the past, and that therefore they can be shrugged off
or swept under the rug. They are, however, seriously mistaken for the
following two reasons:
1.
From a legal standpoint, the crime of enforced disappearance
has no statute of limitation and, as a result, anyone who is
responsible for having "disappeared" other individuals, even if thirty
years earlier, will sooner or later be made to stand in a court of
justice to account for their deeds. There is no closure to these
crimes other than the accountability of their perpetrators, as is
evidenced by the history of numerous countries, and Lebanon is no
exception.
2.
From a humanitarian standpoint, it would be futile to try and
convince the families and relatives of the disappeared or the detained
to give up their search for their missing loved ones. As one mother of
a missing individual said: "The disappearance of my son is as if I am
holding a burning red hot coal in my hand. It's been 15 years that it
hurts me, but I can't let go of it". This image accurately represents
the mindset of the vast majority of the families of the disappeared.
SOLIDA therefore calls on the opposition parties, in particular those
politicians whose conscience is clear of any violation of human
rights, to treat this question with absolute priority. It would be
ludicrous in any case to try and build a democracy on such flimsy
foundations, and worse yet, by sacrificing those of the detainees who
continue to languish in the prisons of Syria. The opposition must put
this specific question at the heart of its dialogue with Syria, and
perhaps even make the release of the detainees an absolute sine qua
non condition for any discussions. Unless this is done clearly,
publicly and without delay, political parties stand liable to be
accomplices in having endorsed the crimes by cowardice.
We call on those
self-declared "opposition" parties to have the courage to demand the
right thing, and if this is not done for the sake of your missing
compatriots, then at least let it be done in a simple calculation of
your political future. When the whole world will be focused on the
tragedy of the families of the disappeared and on the suffering of the
prisoners in Syria, your position on this issue will also be
scrutinized, and this moment is fast approaching.
SOLIDA is ready to provide everyone with information that may be
useful on this question.
SOLIDA |
