Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi on Tuesday denounced the excessive use of force on Mansourieh residents and Kataeb lawmaker Elias Hankache while they were protesting the forcible installation of high-voltage power lines in the area.

Al-Rahi met with Hankache and Kataeb's Deputy-President Salim Sayegh who both briefed him on what happened earlier during the day in Mansourieh where security forces attacked the residents who were trying to prevent EDL workers from installing the hazardous power lines near their homes.

Speaking following the meeting, Sayegh said the attack on Hankache encroaches on the Parliament's prestige given that the lawmaker represents the entire nation and all the Lebanese.

Sayegh slammed the excessive use of power against Mansourieh residents as shameful, adding that the ruling authority seems to have lost the basic standards of good behavior and performance.

“Everyone must understand that the project does not affect is a couple of apartments only, but 44,000 households. There is a health and environmental massacre that is being perpetrated by the authority in this area,” Sayegh blasted.

Sayegh urged Interior Minister Raya Al-Hassan, who is keen on safeguarding human rights, not to cover up such acts and decisions.