In a bid to finalize a consensus on the General Amnesty Law, a significant meeting of Sunni lawmakers was held last week, attended by 21 members of parliament. Following this, a subcommittee formed during the meeting gathered yesterday in the House of Representatives. The committee, including MPs Bilal Abdullah, Ahmad Al-Khair, Imad Al-Hout, Abdul Rahman Al-Bizri, and Nabil Badr, was tasked with making adjustments to the law’s final draft.
Though no official statement was released, sources told «Nidaa Al Watan» that the MPs rely on an understanding reached at the government headquarters during a meeting between the Prime Minister and several Sunni MPs. This understanding aims to overcome obstacles to passing a fair and just law that addresses the grievances of those imprisoned for political reasons, including individuals without judgments for similar reasons, such as Islamist detainees.
The proposed amendments focus on reducing the prison sentence year to 17 and replacing "harsher hard labor" with life sentences.
Furthermore, it is requested of the Speaker of the House to link the proposal of the General Amnesty Law with the proposal to abolish the death penalty, placing them on the agenda for the next legislative session shortly.
The sources confirm that the subcommittee will return with the final version to the wider meeting, where it will be presented to President Berri and his deputy Elias Bou Saab, who chairs the joint committee meetings and the subcommittee, before referring it to the General Assembly to secure its passage.
Additionally, the committee plans to engage directly with parliamentary blocs and political and religious authorities to secure consensus and legislative approval for the law.