Reporting by Faris Rifai
(Zaman Al Wasl) The town of Rawda in the Lebanese Bekaa valley witnessed on Friday a crime whose victim was a Syrian refugee.
Activists stated that the refugee Abed al-Naser Qalaa nicknamed Abi Raid was killed at the hands of a gang from the Qarawoni family known in the area after they hit on his head with an electric cane which led to his instantaneous death.
The deceased’s friend Mountasi Abu Ziad indicated to Zaman al-Wasl that the murdered man comes from the village of al-Abadet in Eastern Ghouta. He migrated to Lebanon in 2013 after his village fell under regime control escaping the war as many other Syrians.
Qalaa started working as a journeyman manually digging wells to feed his family and children, according to his friend who added that, “battling metal all day was his only source of income in this foreign land especially as he has 5 children who are now without a provider.”
Our speaker revealed that an argument took place between the deceased’s brother and Lebanese from the al-Qarawoni family in the area of al-Rawda in the Bekaa due to a debt of 3000$ owned by Abu Mahir al-Qarawoni, and following his attempt to claim the money the children of the family tried to attack him. At this point Abu Raid approached to see what the problem was and they hit in with an electric cane on his head from him to fall down in front of the town mosque minutes after finishing prayer in it.
According to our speaker, the strange thing is the authorities dealt with the issue with complete neglect and they called on none of the perpetrators as if the crime was committed by an unknown perpetrator and the murdered was not killed within sight of all those leaving the mosque after Friday prayer. The more cunning issue according to activist Abu Ziad is that the Lebanese police after taking the body and presenting it to Lebanese coroner claimed the murdered man died of a heart stroke despite cameras around the mosque documenting the crime, but the police did not review them.
Our speaker indicated that the family of the deceased, “did not dare to press charges against the perpetrators from the Qarawoni family for fear of their revenge as they are a powerful family with influence with the Lebanese government. The family also feared they might be deported from Lebanon which has happened more than once to the families of Syrian refugees murdered in Lebanon.”
(Zaman Al Wasl) The town of Rawda in the Lebanese Bekaa valley witnessed on Friday a crime whose victim was a Syrian refugee.
Activists stated that the refugee Abed al-Naser Qalaa nicknamed Abi Raid was killed at the hands of a gang from the Qarawoni family known in the area after they hit on his head with an electric cane which led to his instantaneous death.
The deceased’s friend Mountasi Abu Ziad indicated to Zaman al-Wasl that the murdered man comes from the village of al-Abadet in Eastern Ghouta. He migrated to Lebanon in 2013 after his village fell under regime control escaping the war as many other Syrians.
Qalaa started working as a journeyman manually digging wells to feed his family and children, according to his friend who added that, “battling metal all day was his only source of income in this foreign land especially as he has 5 children who are now without a provider.”
Our speaker revealed that an argument took place between the deceased’s brother and Lebanese from the al-Qarawoni family in the area of al-Rawda in the Bekaa due to a debt of 3000$ owned by Abu Mahir al-Qarawoni, and following his attempt to claim the money the children of the family tried to attack him. At this point Abu Raid approached to see what the problem was and they hit in with an electric cane on his head from him to fall down in front of the town mosque minutes after finishing prayer in it.
According to our speaker, the strange thing is the authorities dealt with the issue with complete neglect and they called on none of the perpetrators as if the crime was committed by an unknown perpetrator and the murdered was not killed within sight of all those leaving the mosque after Friday prayer. The more cunning issue according to activist Abu Ziad is that the Lebanese police after taking the body and presenting it to Lebanese coroner claimed the murdered man died of a heart stroke despite cameras around the mosque documenting the crime, but the police did not review them.
Our speaker indicated that the family of the deceased, “did not dare to press charges against the perpetrators from the Qarawoni family for fear of their revenge as they are a powerful family with influence with the Lebanese government. The family also feared they might be deported from Lebanon which has happened more than once to the families of Syrian refugees murdered in Lebanon.”
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