Dozens of intellectuals and human rights activists...

Dozens of intellectuals and human rights activists held a sit-in at the Lebanese parliament to protest against the three imminent executions to take place on January 17. "An eye to an eye, a tooth for a tooth, leave us toothless and blind," read an English-language sign held aloft by the protestors. The demonstration forced Lebanese soldiers, backed by trucks and jeeps, to block access to Place de L'Etoile, the pedestrian square near parliament. The protestors, many wearing black, then marched to a nearby public area where they laid down for several minutes to simulate death. "It is unacceptable to implement the death penalty in a country that has just emerged from 15 years of war," said Nizar Saghiyeh from the Human Dignity association. MP Ghassan Mukheiber, member of a national campaign for the abolishment of the death penalty told AFP the protestors were also planning an overnight sit-in outside the Rumieh prison, located east of the capital.