Latest news with #TaymourJumblatt
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Druze leaders in Lebanon condemn execution in National Hospital of Sweida after video circulated
Druze leaders in Lebanon, including the Progressive Socialist Party, headed by MP Taymour Jumblatt, former minister and MP, Talal Arslan, and Sheikh Akl Sami Abi al-Mouna condemned the attack on the National Hospital in Sweida, southern Syria, in separate statements on Monday. A widely circulated video of a field execution inside the National Hospital in Sweida, southern Syria, carried out allegedly by government forces in mid-July has sparked widespread outrage on social media platforms. The video recorded by surveillance cameras at the National Hospital during clashes in mid-July, but circulated on social media platforms Sunday, shows individuals dressed in Syrian army and general security uniforms rounding up several members of the hospital's medical staff and forcing them to kneel. As the staff members were gathered, a young man is seen attempting to sit before one of the officers calls out to him, drags him, and another punches him in the face. The young man then tries to fight back, attempting to knock one of the officers down, but the others quickly intervene and restrain him. One of them then shoots him at point-blank range, killing him. Another officer then drags his body away in front of the rest of the staff. 'Barbaric act' The media office of Sheikh Akl said in a statement that the video "leaves no room for doubt that the heinous, inhumane, immoral and barbaric act committed by security personnel against a member of the hospital's medical staff requires an urgent and thorough investigation. Responsibilities must be clearly identified, and legal accountability enforced against those who committed this atrocity, as well as others responsible for the crimes and brutalities that occurred in the city and those behind them." The media office called on "relevant international bodies, human rights organizations, and specialized international institutions to examine the files related to the violations and assaults documented by images and videos against unarmed civilians, including elders, women, and children, and to take the necessary actions accordingly." It also praised the "U.N. Security Council's resolution regarding the accountability of all those responsible for acts of violence against civilians in Sweida and the need to bring them to justice." The PSP said in a statement that "these actions are, at the very least, devoid of humanity and morality." The party said that it was the first to call for the formation of a serious investigative committee into the assaults that took place in the Sweida Governorate, and for genuine accountability of those responsible — regardless of their affiliations." 'Repulsive and disgusting scenes' Arslan commented on the video on X Monday, saying that the "repulsive and disgusting scenes that reflect the extent of savagery and brutality carried out by individuals claiming to represent the General Security forces. This crime adds to the ongoing series of horrific atrocities they continue to commit against the people of Syria, regardless of their sectarian or ethnic background." "These perpetrators must be held accountable before the eyes of the entire world. If Syria is to remain unified in its diversity, they must be executed in Marjeh Square in Damascus — in front of the public and under the gaze of the Syrian, Arab, Islamic, and international communities — so they may serve as an example." In response, the Syrian Interior Ministry issued a statement saying: "The Ministry of Interior is following up on the distressing video circulating on social media, which is said to have been filmed inside the National Hospital in Sweida some time ago." The ministry added: "We strongly condemn this act in the harshest terms and affirm that the perpetrators will be held accountable and referred to the judiciary to receive their fair punishment, regardless of their affiliations." The ministry concluded its statement by saying: "Under the direction of the Minister of Interior, Major General Abdul Qader Al-Tahan, Assistant Minister for Security Affairs, has been assigned to directly oversee the investigation to ensure the perpetrators are identified and apprehended as swiftly as possible." The week of bloodshed began on July 13 with clashes between local Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, but the violence rapidly escalated as it drew in outside forces, eventually killing some 1,400 people, many of them Druze civilians, according to a war monitor. Syrian authorities have said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused them of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses against the Druze, including summary executions. Brutal videos have previously circulated on social media, with some appearing to show civilians killed at the hands of armed men in military or security forces uniforms.
Ya Libnan
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
PSP chief: We handed over all our remaining arm. 'Only the state can protect us all.'
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Taymour Jumblatt noted that 'Lebanon is currently going through difficult times. There are ongoing attacks on Lebanon and an occupation that must end. There is an official Lebanese document that carries clear ideas that allow us to emerge from the crisis calmly and rationally.' In his speech at the annual central dinner of the Progressive Youth Organization, he noted that 'our position on the issue of weapons is clear. We started with ourselves and handed over the weapons that were still available.' He explained that 'we handed them over out of the conviction that the state alone can protect us all.' He explained that 'Lebanon is also still in an economic crisis, and reform remains essential to overcome it, particularly for the younger generation, so that they can find opportunities in the country and stop migration.' He emphasized that 'the state must be established, and the state project is achieved through justice and political and social security. In order to continue on this path and achieve success, we need those who are up to the responsibility and willing to work and give.' Under UN resolutions 1701 on which the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was agreed all militia in Lebanon should be disarmed. 'Jumblatt's decision to hand over all PSP's remaining arms should be considered as a wake up call to Hezbollah to do the same, one analyst told Ya Libnan. Like all the other militias in Lebanon PSP handed all its arms to the Lebanese army at the end of the 1975-90 civil war , but after Hezbollah attacked the Druze stronghold of Mount Lebanon in 2008 it forced PSP and other communities in Mount Lebanon to rearm themselves for self defense . File : Masked Hezbollah fighters as they march through a suburb of Beirut in May 2008 , when the party occupied a large section of Beirut . and tried but failed to occupy Mount Lebanon. The move forced PSP to rearm in self defense. Many Hezbollah fighters were killed during the failed attack on Mount Lebanon The Iran backed Hezbollah was the only militia that refused to hand over its arms in 1990. Lebanon faces Existential Threat if Hezbollah not disarmed US Special Envoy Tom Barrack warned, in an interview with the Emirati newspaper The National, that Lebanon risks falling into the hands of regional powers unless Beirut moves to resolve the issue of Hezbollah's arms He pointed out that 'Lebanon needs to resolve this issue, otherwise it could face an existential threat,' adding, 'Israel on one side, Iran on the other, and now Syria is emerging very quickly. If Lebanon doesn't act, it will return to the Levant.' Ya Libnan / El Nashra
MTV Lebanon
12-06-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Jumblatt meets Ogero Employees' Union over job security concerns
Progressive Socialist Party leader, MP Taymour Jumblatt, met with a delegation from the Ogero Employees' Union, headed by Union President Emile Nassar, at his Clemenceau office. The meeting was attended by MP Faisal Sayegh, Jumblatt's advisor Hossam Harb, and the Secretary-General of the Labor Liberation Front Walid Shmeit. Discussions focused on the situation of Ogero employees, particularly the implications of Law 431, especially Article 49, and its impact on job stability and the future of workers across all positions within the organization.
LBCI
11-06-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
French Envoy meets Walid Jumblatt to discuss Lebanon's political developments
Former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), Walid Jumblatt, received French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian at his residence in Clemenceau. French Ambassador to Lebanon Hervé Magro accompanied Le Drian. The meeting was also attended by the current head of the PSP, MP Taymour Jumblatt, and Mrs. Nora Jumblatt. Discussions focused on the latest political developments in Lebanon and the broader region.
National News
26-04-2025
- Politics
- National News
"Decision on peace & war rests solely with the state, administrative decentralization an urgent national necessity," stresses MP Jumblatt at "Renewal for the Nation" Conference
NNA - Head of the Democratic Gathering and Progressive Socialist Party, MP Taymour Jumblatt, participated today in the "Renewal for the Nation" conference, where he delivered a speech highlighting the critical juncture at which we stand, "a stage in which developments require us to rise to the challenge and define the path towards a future worthy of the aspirations of the Lebanese people and all the crises they have experienced." "Today, we are not engaging in a fleeting political debate, but rather we are setting the headlines for the serious and required work to consolidate the identity, sovereignty, and unifying entity of the state, and for the dignity and natural rights of the citizen," he said. Jumblatt reiterated that the peace and war decision lies solely in the hands of the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions, at the forefront of which is the Lebanese Army, "to which we renew our full support as a guarantor of stability and protector of unity and sovereignty throughout Lebanon," he underscored. "It must be remembered that the Israeli occupation of parts of the country remains at the core of our work, which must remain focused on the government level in order not to neglect the necessity of implementing international resolutions, including Resolution 1701, imposing an Israeli withdrawal from the south, and halting all forms of aggression against Lebanon," Jumblatt asserted. Referring to administrative decentralization, Jumblatt stressed that it is an "urgent national necessity" and "one of the fundamental means of achieving balanced development that ends regional discrimination." He added, "The administrative decentralization we advocate strengthens unity because it bridges the gap between the center and the peripheries and involves everyone in national decision-making." "Let us all unite—political forces, civil society, unions, and citizens—behind a genuine rescue plan that begins with fundamental reform in state administration and ends with the building of the Lebanon of our dreams: strong in its unity, prosperous in its justice, and cohesive with its people," Jumblatt concluded.
