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IranWire Exclusive: Lebanese Authorities Arrest Child Rapists

July 9, 2020
Fatima Al-Uthman
2 min read
IranWire Exclusive: Lebanese Authorities Arrest Child Rapists

A Lebanese security source has told IranWire that authorities have arrested seven people accused of raping and beating a Syrian child. The case has sparked angry reactions in Lebanon and Syria amid speculation that members of Hezbollah could have been involved in the crimes.

The source, who is from the Beirut intelligence department and who asked not to be named for security reasons, added that the authorities are still searching for an eighth suspect.

Fatima Al-Salah, the mother of Muhammad, the 13-year-old victim, told IranWire that her son suffers from psychological problems as a result of the abuse, which took place over a two-year period. She said he had been receiving psychological support over the last few days, but continued to be traumatized. Overall, she said, his physical health was stable. 

The source with links to the Lebanese security services told IranWire, "The defendants are affiliated to Lebanese Hezbollah and fought in Syria,” but IranWire has been unable to verify this information.

Three anonymous sources gave identical accounts, indicating that one of the accused is the son of a Hezbollah official and from the Qamar family. 

In a phone call with IranWire, al-Salah said she noticed her son seemed sad when he returned from work, and when she asked why, he replied that he had had an argument with his colleagues. Al-Salah said she was saddened by accusations against her that claimed she knew what had been happening to her son. 

 

Shared on Social Media 

The video was reportedly leaked after a dispute broke out among the eight rapists. Two young men from the Lebanese town of Sohmor in the Western Bekaa District recorded a video showing them raping and beating the Syrian child. The video was shared on social media during the first week of July, prompting the Attorney General in Zahle to file a case against the perpetrators calling for the most severe penalties against them. For two days, a crowd gathered in front of the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to protest against the crime and to call for authorities to take action. 

The incident captured in the video was not an isolated incident. The boy had been repeatedly raped and abused by the eight men for two years, al-Salah said.  

Lebanese government sources declined to comment on the incident when IranWire contacted them. Sami Fatfat, a member of the Future Parliamentary Bloc, part of an alliance that holds the majority in the Lebanese parliament, also said he did not have any information regarding the case.

According to his mother, Muhammad feared for his life and felt unable to disclose the harassment and repeated rape to which he had been subjected.

The boy, whose father is Syrian and mother Lebanese, stopped studying two years ago and began working in a juice bar. 

The protesters outside the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees called on the UNHCR to secure asylum for the boy in a European country so that he can be treated for the effects of the sexual and verbal abuse he suffered.

 

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