Prime Minister Salim Hoss refused to sign a judiciary...

Prime Minister Salim Hoss refused to sign a judiciary decree ordering the death sentence for two convicted criminals, Fadi Ahmad Mur`ish and Mahmud Ahmad Husayn, because of his strong opposition to the death penalty. "Only God can grant life and take it away," he said. The order was signed by the deputy prime minister Michel Murr during Hoss' absence. He said that "by abstaining from signing the death penalty decree, I am implementing a prerogative granted to me by the constitution." Mahmud Ahmad Husayn, a Syrian national, was sentenced to death in 1998 by the Criminal Court for killing a police inspector. His appeal was rejected by the Court of Cassation. Fadi Ahmad Mur`ish, an army conscript from Tripoli, was due to have been executed by firing squad in March after being found guilty of raping a woman before burning her alive. He was tried in 1998 before the Military Court. The Military Court of Cassation refused to send the case to higher appeal. On April 19, 2000, State Prosecutor Adnan Addoum received a psychiatric report which stated that Fadi Ahmad Mur`ish was not responsible for his actions because he suffers from acute schizophrenia. Mur`ish's lawyer, May Khansa, who filed the report with Addoum, also informed the state prosecutor that she "will request a retrial in a petition to Justice Minister Joseph Shaoul," arguing that the report "is enough reason for a retrial."