Lebanon's apology for last week's brutal killing of an Egyptian citizen will help avoid a setback in Egyptian-Lebanese relations. But more needs to be done to ensure that justice is served, reports Doaa El-Bey When Egyptian citizen Mohamed Selim Musallam was killed by angry Lebanese villagers who took justice into their own hands, he was denied the right to a proper trial on charges of murdering four Lebanese citizens. The brutality of Musallam's killing, which took place last week, sent shock waves through Egypt even after his burial on Tuesday after an autopsy on the body had been ordered by the country's prosecutor-general. Egyptian human rights organisations have called on the Lebanese government to bring Musallam's killers to justice and for the Egyptian government to follow up on the investigations. According to Hafez Abu Seada, head of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, the killing was particularly repugnant and marked a clear return to what he described as the "law of the jungle". "We denounce this crime and will work with the Lebanese human rights organisations to follow up the outcome of the investigations," Abu Seada said. Although the murder of Musallam was not politically motivated, the killing could offer the Egyptian authorities the opportunity to design policies to protect Egyptians living abroad, Abu Seada said, and to put in place mechanisms that would help them should they face problems. "Many Egyptians abroad do not feel that their government supports them, and when it does offer support this often comes too late or is not enough," Abu Seada said in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly. Both Egyptian and Lebanese officials denounced the killing and called for all necessary measures to be put in place to bring those responsible to justice. Egypt's Foreign Ministry also expressed its sorrow at the killing, with ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki saying that Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit had asked the Egyptian embassy in Beirut to take all necessary measures with the Lebanese authorities in order to ensure that the suspects in the case were brought to justice. Zaki also denounced the crime that Musallam had been suspected of committing, in which the lives of an elderly Lebanese couple had been taken, together with those of their two granddaughters. Although there has been much speculation in the media over possible motives behind the crime, the true motive is not known. Egypt's embassy in Beirut has also formed a team to follow the development of the investigations. According to Ahmed Abul-Hassan, the embassy's information officer, the team had coordinated with the Lebanese authorities in order to transfer Musallam's body to Egypt, which arrived in the country on Monday. The team had also offered protection and help to Musallam's mother, who lives in Lebanon, Abul-Hassan said, and it was following up developments in the investigations with Musallam's Lebanese defence lawyer Margo Khattara. "Given that this is an individual crime that is not politically motivated, it is not likely to have any effect on Egyptians living in Lebanon. However, we are keeping our eyes open," Abul-Hassan said in an interview with the Weekly. Meanwhile, state prosecutor-general Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud has asked the Foreign Ministry to provide him with details related to the incident and the investigations being carried out by the Lebanese authorities, in order that he can monitor them. According to Zaki, a report giving details of the original crime that took the lives of the four Lebanese citizens and then the villagers' mob killing of Musallam had been sent to Mahmoud's office, together with details of the consultations going on between the Egyptian and Lebanese authorities. Lebanese officials have denounced the killing, with Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman and Interior Minister Ziad Baroud expressing their concern that such a brutal killing could tarnish Lebanon's image. Suleiman ordered the government to take action against the villagers involved in the attack. The killing has also stirred controversy among those posting on the Internet, with some web users describing the killing as brutal and totally unjustified and others saying that they could understand the desire for revenge among the Lebanese villagers. Yet, the circumstances of the killing showed clear lapses in procedures carried out by the Lebanese security forces. The Lebanese police had taken Musallam to the village in order to re-enact the crime less that 24 hours after it was committed, and the villagers had then decided to kidnap and kill Musallam as the police stood by, unable to intervene, while his corpse was mutilated. Lebanon's head of police, General Sherif Riffi, has taken disciplinary measures against a number of policemen concerned, saying that major mistakes had been made in underestimating the situation on the ground and in failing to provide protection for Musallam. The crime may be an indication of a rise in the use of violence, not only in Lebanon, but also in the Arab states more generally. Video film shown on Lebanese television and on the Internet showed hundreds of villagers confronting the police, taking Musallam by force, and then killing him before stripping him of his clothes. The body was then hung from a lamp post, where it stayed before police arrived to collect it. The trial of Musallam's killers is now considered to be a top priority, in order to prevent others from taking justice into their own hands. Should Musallam eventually be found guilty of the original crime, this will hardly justify what was done to him. If, on the other hand, he is found not guilty, then nothing will be able to compensate him or his family.
