An attack by unknown armed men on 22 May 2013 against an Al Jazeera English (AJE) crew in Tripoli prompts a serious look into the handling of weapons in Lebanon.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) denounces the attack by unknown armed men on 22 May 2013 against an Al Jazeera English (AJE) crew which was covering an event in Tripoli, north of the capital Beirut.
The AJE team was filming areas in Tripoli that had witnessed security problems. While members of the team were working, a group of armed men on motorcycles zoomed by. One man drove straight towards a cameraman and shot at his camera, which he had set up in the street for steady filming.
ANHRI expresses its grave concern regarding the spread of weapons into the hands of civilians and the state’s inability to control and contain the violence being spawned as a result. ANHRI also expresses worry regarding the continued use of weapons to terrorise citizens.
“We don’t know what justification lies behind these armed men’s targeting of the AJE team,” said ANHRI, “What we are sure of, however, is the authorities’ responsibilities in providing a safe climate for journalists to work in.
ANHRI added, “the authorities must track down those who commit such violations and must announce to the public who the culprits are and how they got their hands on weapons. Failure to do so would make the authorities accomplices to the crimes.”
