The Lebanese Civil Defense, which is mainly formed of volunteers, carried out a sit-in in front of the Justice Palace in Beirut to demand knowledge of their fate and future, and in solidarity with one of their teammates, Iyad Al-Ashqar, who is detained at the Hammana police station.
Yesterday, during a mission, Iyad Al-Ashqar, the driver of the civil defense, had a traffic accident with a van on the Chtoura-Baalbek line, which led to the injury of 3 people, 2 of whom died instantly.
Iyad was arrested even though the van driver admitted that he was wrong and was making a reckless detour. The van driver had escaped from the hospital in a black jeep and was re-arrested at night by the security forces.
Youssef Al-Mallah, who spoke on behalf of the Civil Defense, revealed that their cars are not suitable for traffic and that this is the responsibility of the state. The lack of funding, equipment, mechanic maintenance, and insurance for volunteers exposes them to permanent risks while carrying out their mission.
“The citizen usually asks for help. Today, civil defense personnel have to ask for help,” a civil defense trainer said.
Accordingly, the Lebanese Civil Defense decided to stop their missions on all Lebanese territories until their demands are fulfilled.
