HRW Says Alleged Beheading of Sayyed 'War Crime'
Human Right Watch described on Tuesday the alleged beheading of Lebanese army sergeant Ali al-Sayyed as a “war crime.”
The rights group (HRW) considered in a statement “the alleged beheading of al-Sayyed
a horrific act, and if true, would amount to a war crime.”
The Middle East director at HRW, Sarah Leah Whitson, said that the group “remains concerned about the fate of the remaining captives.”
Abu Musaab Hafid al-Baghdadi, who identifies himself as a member of the Islamic State, posted photos on his Twitter account on August 28 purportedly showing an Islamic State militant beheading a blindfolded man who is identified as Ali al-Sayyed.
On Monday, the body of al-Sayyed was handed over to Lebanese authorities that in turn transported the corpse for the necessary DNA tests to confirm his identity.
The Internal Security Forces confirmed to HRW that 13 soldiers and policemen have been released.
On August 2, gunmen belonging to the two aforementioned groups overran the northeastern border town of Arsal as clashes erupted with the Lebanese army, killing 19 troops.
Several soldiers and policemen were kidnapped as the Islamist gunmen withdrew from the town.
Meanwhile, HRW said that several Syrian refugees were “physically attacked” in the streets of Lebanon following the outbreak of violence in Arsal.
“Lebanese security forces should remain vigilant against any abuse of Syrian refugees and ensure that anyone responsible for violations is held to account,” HRW said in its statement.
“Syrian refugees should not be scapegoated for criminal acts committed by extremist groups such as the Islamic State,” Whitson added.
H.K.
G.K.
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