Manal Assi: Another victim of domestic violence and the culture of silence but this time in Beirut

Newspapers reported today the death of Manal Assi following physical abuse and beatings by her husband.  The death occurred in the victim’s home in Tareeq Jdeedeh in Beirut where her husband used kitchen tools and furniture to inflict harm and, eventually death.  The facts were confirmed by the affidavit of the victim’s family as well as by the results of the police and judiciary investigations.
The family testified that the victim’s husband called them and told the family that he was beating their daughter and that they should “come and watch”.  The mother of the victim rushed to the scene of the crime with her two other daughters and her son in an attempt to hold off her son in law.  However, by the time they arrived, the husband had already finished what he had started with a final lethal blow on the head with the pressure cooker.  The victim was rushed to the Makassed hospital but soon died whilst the forensic examiner confirmed that the beating was the cause of death.
In its coverage of this unfortunate story, “Al Akhbar” newspaper noted that this matter is of deeper dimension than domestic violence as it is about the pervasive and deep-rooted culture where victims hide their suffering for social considerations and in keeping with traditions and so as to avoid a “scandal”.  In fact, even the victim’s family begun by saying that their daughter fell on the bathroom floor and died.  However, the physician who first came to the scene was suspicious of the wounds on the victim’s body and called the police in the area.  It was the victim’s sister who first came up with the truth otherwise the death would have been ruled as accidental.  To be noted that the perpetrator has fled and the police are on the lookout for him.
Source: Al-Safir, Al-Akhbar, Al-Nahar 6 February 2014