Stories.

From the editors

Hezbollah vows to keep weapons, accuses US of terrorism (November 2009)
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Monday that his party would continue to build up its arsenal to protect Lebanon against Israeli aggression and accused Washington of exporting terrorism.

IRIN: ‘Move to take domestic violence cases out of religious court:’ The ever complex and intertwined relationship between religion and politics in Lebanon has, for many human rights commentators, created a judicial system unable to appropriately deal with incidences of domestic violence. This news feature offers an interesting insight into the social relationships at the heart of Lebanon’s  society.

‘The new bill proposes to take domestic violence out of the religious courts and into the civil system and will cut across confessional lines, giving both Muslim and Christian women equal rights under the law, and, say campaigners, will be a key step towards equality between men and women.’

Amnesty International Report for the Special Tribunal (March 2009): Amnesty International have released a report critiquing a tribunal that seeks to identify the perpetrators of political killings and human right abuses. This reportconsiders if the tribunal could actually be a tool for selective justice:

“Such action by the Lebanese government is urgently needed to break the cycle of impunity that has for so long protected the perpetrators of human rights violations in Lebanon. It is needed both to complement the work of the Special Tribunal and, most especially, to show that the Special Tribunal is only one part of a wider process of turning the page on the abuses of the past and of ensuring equal access to justice for all victims of human rights violations.”