An investigative judge in Lebanon has demanded the death penalty for a man who allegedly raped and murdered a British diplomat in Beirut. It claimed that Houshieh had confessed to the crimes and referred his case to the criminal court, charging him with premeditated murder. Lebanese police had identified the suspect after tracking his car on CCTV cameras and tracing his mobile phone activities. Lebanese judges have continued to sentence suspects to death in recent years, but no execution has been carried out since 2004 because of an unofficial moratorium. If convicted, the suspect could face life in prison in lieu of the death penalty for the alleged crimes, which include both premeditated murder and attempting to conceal the offence from law enforcement.

Source: The Guardian February 08, 2018 18:31 UTC