The video showed a middle-aged man arguing with a woman, probably his wife. The latter was sitting in a parked SUV while the husband was standing by the car window. Suddenly, he violently pulled her hair then started beating her.
Al-Jadeed claimed the man is a municipality chief. In this shocking footage (watch video below) his face was blurred and the newscaster didn’t give his name or the name of the municipality.
If it turns out to be true, it means that a Lebanese official dares to beat his wife in a public space, in broad daylight, because he's convinced his official status grants him immunity.
On top of that, this man is allegedly a lawyer, member of the Beirut Bar Association. So he must have known that he could be prosecuted under the new domestic violence law passed by Lebanese parliament in April 2014. But he didn’t seem to care.
Ironically, this happened while NGOs and families of domestic violence victims were demonstrating in Beirut, asking for justice.
What kind of justice can they ever hope for if that man is not immediately disbarred, arrested and prosecuted? What kind of message would it send to violent men out there if not beat your wife as much as you want, your country doesn’t give damn?
Al-Jadeed said it gave the uncensored footage to the relevant authorities. Let’s see if there’s still some justice in this country or if, once again, a criminal is going to walk free. Sadly proving that in Lebanon, women are second zone citizen who can be brutalized and beaten without any real consequence.