Heated Clashes in Joint Committees as Amnesty Law Debate Turns Contentious
According to MTV, the shouting and heated exchanges inside the joint parliamentary committees, which prompted Defense Minister Michel Menassa to leave the session, stemmed from a verbal altercation between a Sunni MP and Menassa following remarks made in the context of “terrorism.” The confrontation led Menassa to storm out, reportedly feeling that the language used was inappropriate toward the military institution, before another MP managed to bring him back into the session. The MP in question later clarified that he holds no personal objection to the institution, while discussions inside the committee continued in a tense atmosphere, with intermittent shouting.
MTV also reported that the joint committees focused on exemptions within the draft general amnesty law. Debate became particularly heated upon reaching Article 316 bis, which relates to financing terrorism under the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism framework. Several MPs called for its removal from the list of exemptions, arguing that its retention would block the release of a number of individuals accused of terrorism, who maintain that the charges against them are politically motivated and arbitrary. There is reportedly a growing inclination to strike the article from the exemption list.
Separately, the committees approved by consensus the inclusion of amnesty for individuals covered under paragraph two of the sole article of Law No. 194/2011, which applies to those who sought refuge in Israel in 2000. The provision will take effect automatically, without the need for implementing decrees.
