Lebanon should ignore calls to resume executions and instead work to abolish the punishment, Human Rights Watch said in a statement Sunday. There has been no executions in Lebanon for the past six years, but there are increaing calls from politicians and mainly from Hizbullah for the death penalty against those convicted of spying for Israel, the rights group said.
President Michel Suleiman conveyed earlier this year that he will agree to the death penalties issued by military tribunals trying people on charges of spying and of terrorism cases. More than 100 people have been detained on suspicion of espionage since April 2009, including telecom employees, members of the security forces and active duty troops.
"The death penalty is making a comeback just when Lebanon was on the verge of discussing banning the practice," said Nadim Houry, HRW director in Lebanon, according to AFP. "If executions resume in Lebanon, there is a very real possibility that the state will execute innocent people," Houry said.
