The 'Syrian Social Nationalist Party': We Reject Including the Kaftoun Crime in the General Amnesty Law

The 'Syrian Social Nationalist Party' said in a statement: 'We categorically reject the inclusion of those convicted in the terrorist Kaftoun crime in any general amnesty law. We have followed with great concern and severe denunciation the news circulating about the ongoing proposals to discuss a general amnesty law, which it is rumored may include or pave the way for the release of the criminals involved in the treacherous terrorist 'Kaftoun crime' that occurred in August 2020.'

It added: 'In the face of the horror of these attempts that strike justice at its core, we announce to the Lebanese public opinion and to the official authorities the following:

First: Rejection of premeditated murder and the shedding of innocent blood. The crime committed by this cell in the Kurani town of Kaftoun was not a coincidence, but rather a criminal act with prior intent and design, executed in cold blood and by methods of premeditated murder targeting three young men, among the best sons of the town, while they were performing their guard and security duty inside the neighborhoods of Kaftoun town, whereas the terrorists' destination, according to the investigations, was another town with the aim of robbery to finance their terrorist operations that threaten internal stability. The blood of the civilian martyrs in Kaftoun, and the blood of the martyrs of the Lebanese Army and security agencies who fell later while pursuing this terrorist cell in Jabal al-Beddawi and Wadi Khaled, is a national and legal trust that cannot be relinquished or politicized under any name.

Second: Warning against time bombs and community security

These convicts are not ordinary criminals, but rather ideological mercenary elements in killing and forming armed gangs and groups that pledged allegiance to terrorist organizations to destabilize internal stability. Releasing this category or reducing their sentences under the umbrella of 'amnesty' means replanting 'time bombs' in the heart of Lebanese society, an explicit legalization of organized crime and terrorism, and a direct threat to every citizen and soldier and to community security in general.

Third: Respect for judicial rulings

The military judiciary issued its final word in September 2023 after precise investigations and trials that proved the involvement of this group in murder, manufacturing explosive belts, and planning major terrorist operations. Any attempt to circumvent these rulings is a blow to the prestige of the judiciary and what remains of state institutions and an encouragement to dormant cells in the country to resume their activities and carry out their terrorist aims.'

It continued: 'We call upon the heads of parliamentary blocs, all deputies, the Lebanese government, and the Presidency of the Republic to stand firmly as an impenetrable barrier against this serious transgression. We affirm that any amnesty law that does not explicitly and decisively exclude, with rigid texts, the perpetrators of terrorist crimes, the killing of military personnel and civilians, and the formation of armed gangs, is a suspicious law rejected entirely and in detail.'

It concluded: 'We will not allow the blood of our martyrs to be material for political bargains and deals.'