Conflict Incident Report

BEIRUT: East Lebanon residents demanded an amnesty for relatives accused of crimes during a demonstration, the state-run National News Agency reported. Members of Baalbeck’s Jaafar clan blocked the international highway, cutting off access to the Sharawneh neighborhood in the city, the NNA reported. The protest was a part of the “General Amnesty Campaign in the Bekaa Valley” effort. “If the general amnesty law is not endorsed, the roads will remain closed,” protester Abu Hassan Jaafar said. “About 90 percent of the fugitives are innocent,” he added. A group of protesters burned tires at the entrances of neighboring north Bekaa towns Douris and Brital. Others were reported to have blocked the entrance to the town of Maqneh. Fugitives of a variety of crimes are reported to have fled to Baalbeck and surrounding areas. The east Lebanon district is reported to be a “safe haven” for offenders. Local figures have recently led campaigns against illicit activity in the area.