The case of young Eva still awaits to be heard whilst perpetrators remain on the loose

Al Akhbar published a report to follow up on the case of Eva focusing on the legal aspects of the case whilst raising a number of questions on the ways in which law enforcement have responded to queries regarding how the matter is proceeding.  For the past three weeks, and since the matter was unraveled, the response from law enforcement and various mandated stakeholders was to “let justice take its course”.  However, the author of the article, Rajana Hamyeh, wonders how justice will take its course when the alleged kidnappers and rapists are running free with complete disregard to the law.  She also asks whether the matter will now slip into oblivion after a court order has been issued to return Eva to her parents or whether a tribal scenario will now unfold again.
The report condemns the fact that the accused have yet to be apprehended despite the heinous nature of their crime and the fact that their whereabouts are known and they do not shy away from appearing on the media.  Hamyeh notes that mediators appear to have come back on the scene especially those who have “brought back the young girls to her family” with one of them calling the young girl’s father just a few days ago advising him to return the girl to her former and forced spouse to “protect her honor”.  The mediator informed the father that the former forced husband is willing to have a big wedding, to provide his forced child bride with an apartment, and with a bride price of 100 million LBP and a dowry of 50 million LBP.
Hamyeh concludes her article by noting that the case of Eva is not an issue of "protecting" the girl’s honor but the legal pursuit of perpetrators, criminals, instigators and mediators and their bringing them to justice on charges of kidnapping, rape, encouraging and legalizing these crimes.
Source: Al-Akhbar 12 November 2013