By Raed El Rafei

A vote on an amnesty bill for imprisoned Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea is set to take place in Parliament tomorrow, but it remains uncertain whether the bill will take the form of a General Amnesty law to include a much larger number of detainees. "Speaker Nabih Berri promised to convene a legislative sitting to vote on a bill that would allow for the release of Dr. Geagea following the election of the parliamentary committees during Monday's plenary session," said LF MP Antoine Zahra.

Another parole bill will also be voted on for detainees involved in the Majdal Anjar and Dinniyeh clashes, according to Zahra.

The strong alliance between the LF, the Future movement and the Democratic Gathering, which own a majority of seats in Parliament, has lead to an agreement by most of the country's political factions on the release of Geagea as well as the Dinniyeh and Majdal Anjar prisoners.

But Amal and Hizbullah have been calling for the pardon to include a much larger group of prisoners imprisoned for various reasons, even some charged with drug offenses.

"Since the purpose behind Geagea's release is to complete the process of national reconciliation, no group should be excluded from the amnesty law," said Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad.

"We are obviously against dealing with drugs, but we would like to see the chiefs in prison and not deprived individuals who were driven to commit crimes because of their poor social conditions," he added.

Last week, a large group of people from Baalbek and Hermel demonstrated, urging politicians to grant general amnesty for tens of detainees in these areas. They claimed their miserable living conditions and the absence of development plans for their regions are responsible for crimes. The group even warned authorities they might escalate their protests if their demands are not met.

Zahra said, however, that linking Geagea's "political imprisonment with drug cases is a shame and is aimed at hampering his release."

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"Dr. Geagea has been unjustly put in jail for many years and we will not accept any further delay in his liberation," he added.

But according to former Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss, "when a murderer who has been tried is granted a general pardon, there is no justification to keep any criminal in jail."

He stated that "he was not against the release of Geagea in the event he admits his crime and repents."

Geagea was sentenced to life imprisonment in part for his role in the assassination of Premier Rashid Karami in 1987.

"Amnesty does not make a sentenced person innocent. His crime has not been wiped out. If Geagea is not guilty as his supporters claim, they should call for a retrial instead of an amnesty," Hoss said.

In response, Zahra said the LF is more in favor of a retrial but that pressure on the judiciary and its lack of independence have stopped them from choosing this option.

Lawyer and civil rights activist Ziad Baroud said releasing Geagea was necessary to ensure national reconciliation and repair the impartiality of the 1990 Amnesty Law linked to the crimes of the civil war. Baroud further criticized the law for pardoning the murder of regular citizens and not that of politicians.

No matter what happens in Monday's plenary session, releasing Geagea will clear the way for other demands to grant large groups of detainees amnesty in the name of national reconciliation.

Recently, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir called for a government clemency for those members of what was once the Israeli-backed South Lebanese Army who took refuge in Israel, saying they should be involved in finalizing the process of national reconciliation.

Gerges Khoury, an LF militant and Geagea's right-hand man, who surrendered himself to the Interior Security Forces in March 1994, is also expected to be affected by the amnesty law. - Daily Star