Lebanese Abductee Urges Self-Restraint, Says Lebanon Set up Camps for Syrian Political Prisoners

A Lebanese Shiite pilgrim, who is among nine men held by rebels in Syria since May, urged in a new videotape their families to exercise self-restraint and reiterated the call for al-Mustaqbal MP Oqab Saqr to negotiate their release.

In the tape released by Syrian rebels in the town of Aazaz after midnight Friday, Ali Zgheib said that he along with the other “eight Lebanese are doing good.”

He stressed that their captors were providing them with all their necessities, including medication.

“We are even following the news and we heard from the rebels that our case reached a standstill lately over the recent events in Syria that included bombardment and the assault of the Syrian regime and its killing machine,” Zgheib said in the tape.

“We have been told that the Lebanese government has set up secret camps for prisoners of conscience from Syria and Arab and Islamic states,” he said.

Zgheib said the prisoners are being treated the same way political detainees are treated in jails run by the Assad regime.

LBCI was able to contact the abductee, who told the TV station that only MP Saqr should negotiate on their behalf.

“We back the Syrian revolution which has become part of our souls and blood and because it is righteous and is fighting for freedom and the end of injustice,” he said.

“We urge our families for calm and hope that MP Saqr would continue with what he had started along with (ex-PM) Saad Hariri,” Zgheib added.

The families of the nine kidnapped men briefly blocked the road near the Interior Ministry in Beirut's Hamra thoroughfare on Friday, demanding the authorities to swiftly resolve their case.

Later, a delegation held talks with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, who said the discussions focused on the progress achieved in resolving the issue.

“I cannot disclose the details to the media. There are difficulties, but we are resolving them one by one. We have great hope in this matter,” Charbel said.

The protesters urged Saqr and Hariri to follow up the matter.

Abou Ibrahim, the head of the so-called Northern Storm Brigade, kidnapped eleven Lebanese pilgrims in the northern province of Aleppo on May 22 as they were returning home from Iran.

One abductee was released in August and another was set free in September.