Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri postponed on Wednesday the parliamentary session on the proposed amnesty law scheduled on Thursday, citing rising sectarian tensions and the need to preserve national consensus.
In a statement, Speaker Berri’s office said the draft law “is to restore the principle of justice as a cornerstone of the rule of law and a safeguard of individual freedoms—particularly in light of the chronic delays in the issuance of criminal judgments within prisons.”
The statement noted that efforts were exerted by parliamentary bodies and joint committees “to reach a national consensus that would serve as a unifying signal in a country in urgent need of solidarity and agreement.”
However, the developments “witnessed in more than one area, accompanied—regrettably—by sectarian and religious incitement, have led to the decision to postpone tomorrow’s session to a later date under the banner of consensus,” Speaker Berri’s Office added.
Earlier on Tuesday, joint committees at Lebanon’s Parliament approved a revised draft of general amnesty law after weeks of political negotiations and disputes over its scope, amid mounting pressure over prison overcrowding, delayed trials and the fate of detainees held for years without final verdicts.
Source: Al-Manar English Website