Day 208

Still ongoing...

Day 208

Still ongoing...

May 11, 2020

Covid-19 Update
  • 14 new cases, 859 cases, 234 recoveries, 26 deaths
  • THE THIRD PHASE BEGINS: RESTAURANTS OPEN, SCHOOLS UNCERTAIN, AND CURFEW EXTENDED. Following the recent increase in recorded cases on Sunday, the government adopted contradictory measures. 
  • On the one hand, Public Health Minister Hamad Hassan hinted at the possibility of a 48-hour nationwide lockdown and Interior Minister Mohamad Fahmi extended the curfew, which now begins at 7PM instead of 9PM. 
  • On the other hand, Fahmi authorized the reopening of construction sites and increased the operational capacity of restaurants to 50% instead of 30%. 
  • Meanwhile, Education Minister Tarek Majzoub did not retract the decision to reopen schools but promised to monitor the situation.

Minister refuses to meet protesters, security forces attack them
  • Demonstrators gathered in front of the Ministry of Economy in Beirut, demanding to meet with Minister Raoul Nehme. After he refused, the gathering turned into a protest outside the ministry and a riot police officer attacked a female protester.

The alternative press syndicate: "keep intelligence services' away from liberties"
  • The Alternative Press Syndicate organized a protest in front of the Justice Palace in Beirut to denounce military apparatuses summoning civilians and journalists and to stand in solidarity with journalist Ayman Sharrouf. 
  • Military Intelligence had summoned Sharrouf on Thursday for unknown reasons. 
  • The alternative syndicate indicated statement on Friday that "the Military Intelligence apparatus now summons civilians without trepidation regarding their rights and the limits of its own duties. This threatens civil liberties, as well as the judicial process, its independence and its fairness."

Protest at the military court: freedom to all detainees
  • Demonstrations in front of the military court in Beirut demanded the release of detained protesters. The defense team of the Tripoli detainees had issued a statement Saturday night condemning the ongoing detainment of 17 young men, including minors, following the recent protests in Tripoli. 
  • The team also demanded "a serious investigation into the violence committed by the Army Intelligence against protesters." 
  • The Lawyers' Committee for the Defense of Protesters in Lebanon, in turn, condemned the ongoing detainment of 21 protesters particularly in Tripoli, Sidon, and the Bekaa
  • Update: According to the Lawyers' Committee for the Defense of Protesters, 11 of the protesters detained in Tripoli were released "out of concern for their wellbeing and health."

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