(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The Human Rights Watch has issued a statement condemning the recent attack on George al-Reef, adding that the death penalty should not be considered in the case against Tarek Yateem.
The case began when al-Reef, a father of four was stabbed to death in Beirut in an apparent road rage incident near Gemmayzeh.
According to reports, al-Reef and his wife got into a right of way dispute with Yateem and Lina Haidar, who attempted to get in front of Al Reef.
Haidar, who was driving, forcefully hit Al Reef’s car and kept going. That’s when Al Reef and his wife followed the car to reportedly get its license plate number.
The chase led to a secluded Beirut street, where Yateem got out of the car and began attacking Al Reef, repeatedly stabbing him with a knife.
“While the public’s frustration with the flawed Lebanese justice system is understandable, executions aren’t the solution,” the Human Rights Watch statement read.
According to HRW, a local Lebanese journalist wrote that the Lebanese people no longer trust the state and the judiciary.
“Executions are not the answer,” the statement continued. “Between the barbaric execution of Lebanese soldiers by extremist groups, violent attacks on Alawite, Sunni, and Shiite neighborhoods, the last thing Lebanon needs is more killing, even state-sanctioned.”
Officials at Human Rights Watch have long advocated against the death penalty, calling it “inherently cruel punishment.”
“(Death penalty) cannot be reversed even when miscarriages of justice are found to take place. Furthermore, study after study suggests that capital punishment does not deter crime more than other sanctions,” the statement continued.
Human Rights Watch encouraged government officials to “strengthen the rule of law” and protect the justice system from “political interference.”
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