Samy Gemayel demands answers: Fate of Lebanese detainees in Syria in question

Lebanese Kataeb Party leader, MP Samy Gemayel, addressed a written question on behalf of the Kataeb parliamentary bloc to the Lebanese government regarding the fate of Lebanese individuals who are missing or detained in Syria.  

This comes after the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to establish an independent international institution to uncover the fate of all missing, detained, and kidnapped persons in Syria and their whereabouts. 

Gemayel criticized Lebanon's stance of abstaining from voting on this UN resolution, stating that it "disregards all the previous official Lebanese decisions made regarding the issue of Lebanese detainees and missing individuals in Syrian prisons."  

He questioned the practical measures that the Lebanese government and relevant ministries would take to ensure the inclusion of Lebanese missing persons in Syria since 2011, as well as the Lebanese individuals who were kidnapped by Syrian forces and their allies before 2011, before the expiration of the 80-day deadline set by the General Assembly resolution. 

Gemayel also inquired about the measures the Lebanese government would take to ensure the representation of the families of victims and missing Lebanese individuals in Syria during the establishment and operation of the international institution.  

He asked about the practical steps the Lebanese government and relevant ministries would take to enable the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared to fulfill its role. 

MP Samy Gemayel called on the government to answer these questions within 15 days, under the penalty of transforming the question into an interrogation, as prescribed by the law.