A General Amnesty Law: Kicking the Can Down the Road Instead of Delivering Urgent Reforms
The National Bloc issued the following statement:
Amid the ongoing debate surrounding the proposed general amnesty law, the National Bloc believes that this issue must remain free from populist approaches and short-term political point-scoring, given the sensitivity of the matter and its intersection between humanitarian considerations and the requirements of justice and accountability.
This issue concerns thousands of individuals unjustly detained in Lebanese prisons, who deserve to regain their freedom through solutions that address the root causes of the problem and prevent its recurrence, rather than relying once again on temporary fixes and evasive measures. This is particularly urgent given that many detainees have already spent periods in detention equivalent to, or exceeding, the sentences they would likely receive if convicted.
Accordingly, the National Bloc calls on all relevant authorities to adopt a genuine reform path aimed at accelerating judicial proceedings, safeguarding defense rights, and undertaking a comprehensive reform of the justice system, alongside modernizing the applicable laws. Such reforms would help reduce prison overcrowding while ensuring fair accountability, so that every individual may rightfully obtain justice.