Civil society activists staged Friday evening a protest and cut off the road outside the Interior Ministry headquarters, calling for the release of those arrested during Thursday’s movement.
Earlier in the day, the activists had protested near the Military Court in Beirut, amid tight security measures, to demand the release of the detainees.
Following a meeting with the State’s Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Saqr Saqr, the activists’ lawyers stressed that the judge confirmed the impossibility of their release before taking the legal procedures against them.
The lawyers said that the activists will decide their upcoming steps in terms of exerting pressure for the release of the fellow activists, noting that they will not file lawsuits against military men before the Military Court, “which they do not trust.”
In the same context, four girls, identified as Cynthia Sleiman, Fatima Hteiyet, Maya Malkani and Layal Seblani were released, bringing the number of detainees from 44 to 40, according to the lawyers, who had previously informed LBCI that 44 activists were arrested.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross said that it treated 65 people on the spot and transferred 39 people to hospitals after they suffered suffocation injuries due to tear gas inhalation.
This as sources told LBCI that the number of injured among the security forces reached 22, including two officers.
Security forces used on Thursday night water cannons and fired tear gas to disperse protesters who tried to get past security barricades and reach parliament.
The protests against Lebanon's political leaders came as a result of the waste management crisis that activists warn has become a threat to public health.
The crisis started in July when the closure of the Naameh landfill, caused garbage to pile up on Beirut's roadsides, in parking lots and river beds.
For more details, watch the full report in the video above