Hunger strike in Lebanese prisons ends after settlement over amnesty bill reached

Prisoners in Lebanon announced that they were ending an open-ended hunger strike on Monday after a settlement was reached on a controversial general amnesty bill. The bill, which was passed by parliament in August, was suspended after a parliamentary bloc filed an appeal against it, citing fears it would allow the release of Islamist detainees accused of mounting attacks against Lebanese army soldiers and servicemen. Some of them have spent long years in prison without standing trial. The country’s constitutional council rejected the appeal, instead mandating amendments to some clauses and the removal of others.