Lebanese parliament pardons Samir Jaajaa, others

The Lebanese parliament approved a pardon for Samir Jaajaa ( 52 years old) with a consensus of attendee parliamentarians following the withdrawal from the voting hall of the two Shiite organizations of Hizbullah and Amal block before the beginning of the vote.

Also withdrew from the voting hall were the two representatives for the Syrian Social nationalist party and the representative of the Baath party in Lebanon. The Druze Leader Walid Junblat and parliamentarian Michael Aoun also did not attend.

Jaajaa will be released after the President of the Republic Emil Lahoud signs the pardon and issued in the official newspaper. The correspondent of al-Jazeera TV in Beirut said this decision to be implemented during one week.

In addition to the decision taken by the Lebanese parliament to pardon Jaajaa, the parliament also ratified the release of a group of individuals known as "detainees' of al-Denyeh and Majdal Anjar" who were held in custody without trial since five years in case relating to terrorism..

A group of parliamentarians proposed in mid April to the parliament to amend the general pardon law, for the crimes committed during the civil war, in order to ensure the release of Jaajaa. Another Lebanese group proposed to pardon Islamists and others who have been sued.

Parliamentarian Streeda Jaajaa, wife of Samir Jaajaa said Monday is a historic day. She expressed thanks to the Lebanese parliamentarians "who intended to close the file of the Lebanese war."

She also thanked his supporters who helped in this regard, proving that the alliance was political rather electoral and commended the trend of the Lebanese forces "for its struggle." To this effect, chairman of the administration and justice committee in the Lebanese parliament Mikhael al-Daher said that actions the leader of the Lebanese leader (Jaajaa) was accused of are similar to those committed by al-Denyeh and Majdal Anjar detainees.

Worthy mentioning that the legally banned Lebanese Forces organization succeeded in gaining 6 parliamentarians in the new Lebanese parliament which was elected following the end of the Syrian presence in Lebanon.

The leader of the Christian militia, Jaajaa, who was a supporter for Israel was arrested in 1994 and was sentenced to death. The sentence was alleviated to life imprisonment, over several cases including the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister Rasheed Karami in 1987.