Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Monday introduced a bill to ban visas and freeze assets of Lebanese officials involved in the detention of an American citizen, reports Fox News.
"The Zero Tolerance for Unlawful Detentions of U.S. Citizens in Lebanon Act" seeks to impose sanctions against Lebanese officials "who are involved in the unlawful detainment, arrest or abuse of any United States citizen in Lebanon."
New Hampshire restaurant owner Amer Fakhoury has been jailed since Sept. 12 in Lebanon and has been hospitalized with stage-4 lymphoma. Fakhoury, a member of the former Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army, fled Lebanon in 2001 because of death threats he received after Israel ended its occupation of Lebanon in 2000.
He was charged with the murder and torture of inmates at a former prison in Lebanon described by human rights groups as a center for torture.
Shaheen early Monday said Fakhoury's cancer symptoms are "exacerbated by the beating he received at the hands of Lebanese security officials looking to extract a false confession" from him.
"The U.S. government has provided ample opportunity for Lebanese officials to free Amer Fakhoury," Shaheen said. "However, Amer is fighting for his life and time is running out. . . . There must be consequences for this flagrant disregard of international norms and human rights."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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