DEPOSITORS UNION AT BEIRUT COURTHOUSE: JUSTICE, SOLIDARITY AND THE FIGHT TO FREE DEPOSITS AND RECOVER RIGHTS

As the new judicial year begins, depositors and military and civilian retirees gathered outside the Beirut Palace of Justice on Wednesday, September 16, demanding that the law become a concrete path to recovering their savings — and rejecting any attempt to reduce people's life savings to a mere “financial gap.”

Around 50 depositors took part in the demonstration, including military and civilian retirees, representing 130 members to date of the Depositors Union, under the umbrella of the United Against Injustice coalition.

JUSTICE AS A PATH TO RECOVERY

For Rami Ollaik, founder of the United Against Corruption alliance and coordinator of United Against Injustice, the choice of the Palace of Justice was deliberate: the judiciary is a fundamental avenue for protecting citizens' rights, restoring property and establishing accountability under the rule of law.

Ollaik highlighted a judicial ruling that was issued and enforced, enabling a depositor to recover his deposit in full from Fransabank, together with interest and enforcement costs.

For the Depositors Union, this case demonstrates that legal action can provide a concrete avenue for depositors seeking to recover their life savings.

Ollaik called on judges to exercise their responsibilities with independence and courage. He stressed that legal action should begin with the banks — the institutions directly holding depositors' funds — before extending, according to legal responsibility, to the Central Bank of Lebanon and any other party whose liability may be established by the courts.

The Union called for the seizure of bank assets and funds in Lebanon and abroad, compensation for damages suffered by depositors, and holding every party whose responsible accountable.

UNITED AGAINST INJUSTICE: BEYOND SECTARIAN AND PARTISAN DIVISIONS

Ollaik announced the launch of United Against Injustice as a common framework bringing together depositors, retired military and security personnel, civilian retirees and all those affected by the financial and economic crisis.

Its purpose is to unite those whose rights have been affected, beyond sectarian and partisan divisions, and to pursue their claims through the judiciary and State institutions.

Ollaik stressed that the coalition must remain independent of any political or other actor seeking to use the depositors' cause for separate purposes.

He also addressed the State directly: the movement is not against the State or its institutions; it calls upon them to fulfill their responsibilities.

The Presidency of the Republic, the Prime Minister, Parliament, the Army Command and the security forces were urged to treat the recovery of deposits and the rights of those affected as a national responsibility.

THE HUMAN COST OF THE CRISIS

Retired First Sergeant Khaled Abu Hameih, speaking on behalf of military retirees, recalled the hardships they have endured since 2019 and called on the judiciary to uphold the rights of those who spent decades serving and protecting the country's institutions and citizens.

According to figures presented during the demonstration, retired military personnel have received only a limited portion of their entitlements.

Those who protect the institutions of the State must not be forgotten by the institutions they served.

Depositor Hassan Jalwan called for greater transparency and accountability, including a forensic audit to establish what happened to the funds and identify those responsible.

He addressed the stark disparity between the incomes of most citizens and the privileges enjoyed by officials.

Khaled Shmouri, deputy mayor of Al-Marj in the Bekaa, emphasized the role of the judiciary that rules “In the name of the Lebanese People” to fairly liberate the people’s rights.

Depositor Abdullah Breidi focused on the right to private property, recounting how years of work abroad and savings transferred to Lebanon to secure his children's future became inaccessible when his family needed them.

He also highlighted the dramatic erosion of the value of deposits since the beginning of the crisis, particularly when measured against the price of gold.

As such, depositors are not asking for charity or favors. They are asking for the money they worked to earn.

FROM PROTEST TO COLLECTIVE ACTION

The demonstration also marked the beginning of concrete organizational steps.

A fund will be established to support the group's activities through contributions from residents in Lebanon and members of the diaspora, alongside a mechanism for collectively covering legal costs.

A collective letter, to be signed by current and new members of the Depositors Union and United Against Injustice, will be addressed to the Presidency of the Republic, the government, Parliament, the Army Command and human rights organizations in Lebanon and abroad.

The letter will demand accountability concerning deposits and the broader social and economic rights affected by the crisis.

A committee of lawyers is also being formed to provide legal support to participants and respond to any attempt to target or intimidate them.

THIS IS ABOUT JUSTICE

Closing the demonstration, Rami Ollaik recalled a passage from his book, The Bees Road, and the country he continues to defend.

The struggle, he stressed, is not merely financial.

It is about justice.

It is about property and citizens' rights.

It is about accountability.

And it is about the relationship between citizens and the State and the responsibility of its institutions.

From the steps of the Beirut Palace of Justice, the message at the opening of the new judicial year was clear:

PEOPLE'S LIFE SAVINGS CANNOT BE REDUCED TO A “FINANCIAL GAP.”

RIGHTS CANNOT REMAIN INDEFINITELY SUSPENDED.

THE LAW MUST BE THE PATH TO RECOVERY, JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY.