Arab League urges Lebanese politicians to end deadlock

CAIRO: The Arab League on Tuesday urged Lebanese politicians to work quickly to end a political deadlock in their country and offered to intervene to help Lebanon to overcome the crisis. Lebanon’s financial crisis intensified on Monday, after Prime Minister-designate Saad al Hariri and President Michel Aoun again failed to agree a government, dashing hopes for an end to five months of political bickering that has stalled efforts to reverse a financial collapse. “The Secretary-General, Mr Ahmed Aboul Gheit, feels great concern due to the debates in the political field that suggest that the country is sliding into a severe crisis situation, the features of which are now clearly visible,” the Arab league said in its statement. The organisation warned that the political deadlock “aggravates the suffering of the Lebanese people,” and offered “to do whatever was asked from it to heal the current rift”. AMNESTY CHARGE Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Lebanese authorities of “cruel and abusive” treatment of more than 20 Syrians it said had been tortured in prison or during interrogation. In a report called “I wish I would die”, the rights group documents the cases of 26 Syrians, including four minors and two women, imprisoned between 2014 and 2021 on suspicion of terrorism-related charges. Sentences varied from a few months to several years, with at least six men still detained, Amnesty said. “In all but one of the 26 cases documented by Amnesty International, refugees reported being tortured, either during interrogation or detention,” it said in the report. The abuse was mostly at a military intelligence centre in east Lebanon’s Ablah district, the General Security bureau in Beirut or at the defence ministry, it added. Amnesty blamed in particular Lebanon’s military intelligence bureau.  — Reuters/AFP