Protests expose archaic Lebanese legal system, give lawyers hope for change
As protests continue in Lebanon, a group of lawyers is working to help detainees and push for the enforcement of laws protecting freedom of expression, association and assembly.
BEIRUT — Before the Lebanese protesters head down to the streets, some put on face paint and others grab a Lebanese flag. Many write a phone number on their arms for a hotline started by a group of lawyers to assist protesters in navigating Lebanon’s vague legal system.
The Lawyers Committee for the Defense of Protesters (LCDP) has members around the country and a similar hotline has been set up by the Tripoli Bar Association in Lebanon’s second-largest city.
Nermine Sibai, a member of the LCDP since it was founded in 2015 during the protests centered on the trash crisis, told Al-Monitor, “In 2015, we had this urge and need for the lawyers to make a small committee. We were around 15-20; now we are 50-60.”
The LCDP has received over a hundred calls a week since the protests began Oct. 17 from people being detained, beaten by Lebanese security forces, unlawfully fired from work and more.
