Shehayyeb Asks Govt. to Summon Syria Envoy over Aysami Disappearance

MP Akram Shehayyeb, a member of Druze leader Walid Jumblat’s National Struggle Front, on Tuesday called for unveiling the fate of Syrian dissident Shebli al-Aysami who was last seen in May in the Mount Lebanon town of Aley.

Aysami, 86, is a co-founder of Syria's ruling Baath party who fled his native country in 1966 over political differences.

During a sit-in staged in Aley by Aysami’s family and political and social figures under the slogan “Tuesday of Loyalty and Freedom to Shebli al-Aysami”, Shehayyeb called on the Lebanese government to summon Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali to inquire about Aysami’s fate.

“We stand here for 10 minutes to demand the release of a person who has been outside his home for 10 months,” the MP said.

Protesters briefly blocked Aley’s roundabout, which is connected to the international highway leading to Damascus, before dispersing peacefully.

They described their action as part of “a series of escalatory steps demanding his release from Syrian prisons.”

“What we’re doing today is part of a joint action with the brothers in Syria, as all the coordination committees of Damascus had called for a day of solidarity” with Aysami, Shehayyeb said.

He noted that “a dissident security officer, Brig. Gen. Hussam al-Awak of (Syria’s) Air Force Intelligence Directorate, has given a clear statement: Aysami is held at the Syrian prison known as Palestine Branch.”

“We’re not only demanding the release of detainees in Syrian prisons, but also voicing support for Homs, Hama, Daraa, Aleppo and all the Syrian regions, and for the people who are struggling against the murderer regime,” Shehayyeb added.

Aysami’s daughter, Rajaa Sharafeddine, also delivered a speech during the sit-in, promising escalatory steps.

“Nine months have passed since the arrest of an elderly man, who is the eldest detainee in Syrian prisons, and we have exhausted all diplomatic efforts,” she said.