BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Parliament has approved a state of emergency that grants sweeping powers to the army. Parliament cited exceptional circumstances in the country following the massive explosion in Beirut last week.
The state of emergency allows the army to curb free speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press, as well as to enter homes and arrest anyone deemed a security threat. The state of emergency is set to run until 21 August but it can be renewed.
The Cabinet had declared a two-week state of emergency on 5 August, the day after the Beirut blast that left at least 200 dead and some 6,000 injured. Parliament on Thursday voted for the emergency declaration eight days in, as is legally required, though it could have also voted it down.
Judicial proceedings are to take place in military courts, which Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have shown do not conform to standards on due process. Rights groups have raised serious concerns about the state of emergency, saying it would enable security forces to crack down on a public raging with anger against the ruling class following the blast.
Citing the “militarisation of the state”, parliamentarian Osama Saad was the only one out of the 119-member chamber, a reduced number after the resignation of nine MPs since the explosion, to oppose the state of emergency. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri responded the army had “not taken steps that people fear, nor suppress television (channels) and despite the chaos in the media, it did not intervene and left room for protest”, according to local media.
The army, internal security forces, and armed plainclothes officers were seen using excessive force against anti-establishment protesters on Saturday. Some 728 people were injured, many left with serious wounds that required emergency surgery. About 12 journalists were also assaulted, including at least four who were assaulted by soldiers, one of whom was an Al Jazeera reporter.