REPORT: Relatives of Lebanese hostages in Aazaz call for boycotting Turkish products

                    
The relatives of the Lebanese hostages held in Syria’s Aazaz staged yet another protest today [Friday] before the offices of Turkish Airlines in Beirut’s Martyr Square amid tight security measures.                   

The relatives bemoaned the lack of efforts on the part of the Lebanese government to release their relatives that have been held in captivity for almost a year.                   

They handed out flyers and pamphlets calling for the solidarity of the entire Lebanese people in boycotting Turkish products, “since Ankara is partly responsible for the failure of the hostages’ release.”                              

The families explained that they kicked off their boycott campaign “because economic measures are the best means to put pressure on countries that claim to preserve human rights.”                     

Heavy security measures were deployed in the square where the families added that Lebanon imports a billion dollars worth of products from Turkey annually.                                     

The families said that they chose to kick off their campaign from Martyrs' Square due to its significance as a commemoration of victims killed under Turkish rule over Lebanon.                                      

Meanwhile, Daniel Chouaib, the brother of pilgrim Abbas Chouaib, revealed that boycotting the Turkish products will continue.                                

Chouaib added that options include staging an open-ended sit-in outside the Turkish Embassy, since the Turkish officials “did not abide by their promises to the Lebanese state.”                  

Throughout the week, the relatives had escalated their movements, whereby they had prevented Syrian nationals from opening shop throughout several Beirut areas.                 

Their protests have remained steadfast since the onset of the kidnapping operation.                  

Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped on their way back from Iran by insurgents hoping to use them for a prisoner swap in May. Only two have so far been released.


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