In a statement posted on Twitter, NAAS, an opposition group founded by Saudis mostly living in exile, said Yami was “murdered under suspicious circumstances” on Saturday. He demanded a “fair, clear and transparent investigation” into the killing, saying he held Saudi authorities responsible for failing to safeguard citizens seeking more freedoms abroad. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Lebanon’s internal security forces said a 42-year-old Saudi national was stabbed to death by his two brothers in a family dispute on Saturday, without releasing the victim’s name. It said security forces arrested the two brothers on Sunday and that they confessed to the murder. A Lebanese security source confirmed to Reuters that the stabbing victim was Manea al-Yami. Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Lebanon, Waleed al-Bukhari, praised the Lebanese authorities’ efforts to “uncover the facts and bring the perpetrators to justice” in a tweet. Yami, a member of Saudi’s Shia Muslim minority Ismaili, had been living in Lebanon since 2015, said NAAS senior member Yahya Asiri. He was trying to secure safe passage to a third country. Yami helped found NAAS in 2020. The group has advocated for an elected parliament in Saudi Arabia, as well as constitutional guarantees to ensure the separation of legislative, judicial and executive powers. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reporting by Timour Azhari and Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh. Maya Gebeily writes. Editor: Hugh Lawson Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
