Amnesty International urged Paris to suspend arms exports to Beirut unless it commits to using them in accordance with international law, stating that Lebanese security forces used French-made weapons to suppress peaceful protesters.
According to Al-Joumhouria newspaper, Emrick Elouin, an advocacy officer focused on arms reduction at Amnesty International's French branch, said in a report today that "France has been supplying Lebanese security forces with law enforcement equipment for years, which has been used to commit or facilitate serious human rights violations."
The Crisis Evidence Lab and the Digital Verification Team of the organization are investigating the authenticity of 101 videos of protests that erupted in the summer of 2015 in response to the mismanagement of the waste crisis in the country, as well as the unprecedented protests that Lebanon witnessed starting on October 17, 2019, due to the economic collapse and the political class's failure to manage the country's affairs.
Elouin stated, "French authorities should inform Lebanese security forces that they will not be able to resume exports unless those forces demonstrate that this equipment is used in line with international laws and standards related to the use of force and the right to peaceful assembly."
He added, "One way to demonstrate this is to show that there is full accountability for past violations and to provide adequate compensation for victims of those violations."
The organization highlighted the "disgraceful role" played by French weapons. It reported that "at least a thousand protesters were injured due to the unlawful use of force by Lebanese security forces, which frequently employed French-made law enforcement weapons, including riot control chemicals such as tear gas, kinetic impact projectiles like rubber bullets, and associated launchers."
