“My Nationality is a Right for me and My Family Campaign” organizes a sit-in in front of the Serail to commemorate Mothers’ Day || Newspapers (Arabic)

My Nationality is a Right for me and my Family Campaign organised yesterday a sit-in in front of the seat of the cabinet in Ryad Solh square.  The purpose of the event was to remind the Prime Minister of the promise he made on the same date only a year back with regards to granting women equal rights to transmit nationality.  This promise was to be repealed shortly after by the Ministerial Commission set up for that purpose by the Prime Minister and which decided to undermine rights and offer instead meager services to women.  Protesters chanted a number of slogans in which they expressed their utter refusal to being granted services in lieu of rights.

Mariam Ghazal, an activist in the campaign read the official communiqué released for the event indicating that a year has elapsed since the PM’s promise and which he and his cabinet failed to honor.  The communiqué notes that the Cabinet has failed women as well as its commitments to the constitution and to the international conventions that are supposed to be binding.

The Campaign called on women to free themselves from their political, confessional and other allegiances and rebel against injustice and inequality through actively participating in the upcoming major event that the Campaign will organize on April 14th to commemorate the civil war in Lebanon.

The Campaign also reiterated its commitment to pursue its struggle with all the concerned women and all throughout Lebanon through holding candidates for the elections accountable to women and to collaborate with all other stakeholders working for full and inclusive citizenship rights.

Shortly after the sit-in, PM wrote on his FB status that he will be discussing again the issue of the reform of the nationality law so that women have equal rights to men.

Source: Al-Akhbar, Al-Safir, Al-Mustaqbal 22 March 2013