Army Command issues statement on Geitawi incident

The Lebanese Armed Forces Command released a statement on Wednesday clarifying its raid on foreign workers days earlier.                 

In the statement the LAF said that after receiving several complaints from citizens living in Achrafiyeh - Geitawi Street of several offenders of different nationalities performing obscene acts and robberies, the Intelligence Directorate, reinforced by a military unit, raided the workers' apartments on Sunday night.           

The military forces were surprised as the workers "violently attacked the members in charge of checking their identities and work permits." Consequently, clashes and fights erupted between both sides, and ten workers were arrested and referred to the concerned judiciary.             

The Army Command regretted in a statement what it claims is the distortion of the security forces' work "whose only aim was to control security in populated areas" following several complaints filed by locals. The Army Command also regretted any action which may affect innocent workers.              

The LAF rejected the insults against the institution under the guise of migrant workers' rights. It called on humanitarian organizations and the media to spread the truth and contact the LAF leadership for any clarification, instead of raising public opinion in a negative manner.                   

Overnight Sunday, Monday dawn, the aforementioned unit raided the home of foreign workers of several nationalities in Achrafieh. According to the workers' accounts, they were subject to extreme beating, and unjustified physical and verbal assaults. The workers say that they were accused of "assaulting women in the area;" something they vehemently deny.