Daily Star - Lebanon to hand over body of lynched Egyptian, May 4, 2010

Lebanon to hand over body of lynched Egyptian


By The Daily Star and Agence France Presse (AFP)

BEIRUT: Lebanese judicial sources agreed to hand over the body of Egyptian murderer Mohammad Salim Msallem, who was lynched in the Chouf last week, as the Foreign Affairs Ministry denied the Lebanese Embassy in Cairo had received any threats of revenge.
Egyptian national Msallem was killed by an angry mob in the Chouf town of Ketermaya last week. Top Lebanese leaders have condemned the incident, demanding the perpetrators be punished.
Msallem was butchered by locals in the town while in police custody, and his corpse hung on an electricity pole as dozens of people looked on.
Msallem was suspected of murdering four members of the same family: Youssef Abu Merhi, his wife Kawthar and their two granddaughters Amina and Zeina, 7 and 9 respectively.
Sources reported that the Lebanese Ambassador in Egypt Khaled Ziadeh received an anonymous phone call threatening to avenge Msallem’s death and media outlets reported Ziadeh asked Egyptian authorities for protection.
But the Lebanese Foreign Ministry denied Ziadeh had received any threat or sought special protection. “The Ketermaya incident condemned by all officials in Lebanon cannot be a reason to upset relations between Lebanon and Egypt,” Ziadeh said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Public Prosecutor at the Cassation Court Saeed Mirza prepared to summon suspects in the case. Judicial sources said the court was waiting for the mourning period over the death of the Merhi family to pass before arresting the suspects.
Mirza agreed to deliver Msallem’s body to the Egyptian Embassy after Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Ahmad al-Bidawi asked to speed up transferring the corpse.
Bidawi met with Mirza and Lebanese Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar and stressed the strong ties between the two countries. He also regretted the negative effect the lynching had on Lebanon’s image.
Separately, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Hussam Zaki said Egypt’s public prosecution was being provided with details on the case and about the calls made to Lebanese authorities. “This is a single incident and it should be dealt with as such,” he added.
The Egyptian Bar Association condemned the murder, saying in a statement that the actions of the villagers indicated “true criminality against a defenseless man.”
In Lebanon, meanwhile, more officials condemned the lynching. Mount Lebanon Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Ali al-Jouzo said the crime contradicted religion and the law. “Ketermaya locals have the right to be angry but they don’t have the right to appoint themselves judges and condemn a man to death and torture,” he added.
But Rana Abu Merhi, the mother of victims Amina and Zeina, did not regret the fate of Msallem and said she understood why the villagers had killed him. “If it were someone from Ketermaya, the villagers would have done the same,” she added.
Merhi described with grief how she had discovered the bodies. She found the bodies of her parents covered with blood in one room and her two dead daughters in the bathroom. – The Daily Star, with AFP


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