(https://www.hrw.org/) It reportedly began as a traffic dispute and ended in a vicious public murder, a man stabbed to death in broad daylight on a busy sidewalk in central Beirut.

Bystanders captured the attack on film and footage clearly shows a man repeatedly stabbing George Ibrahim al-Reef despite pleas from al-Reef’s wife Rola. The authorities later arrested Tarek Yateem, a bodyguard for the powerful chairman of Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL) and charged him with premeditated homicide – a crime punishable by death. Lina Haider, who was traveling in the car with Yateem, is charged with being an accessory to al-Reef’s murder.

Brutal images of George’s murder galvanized the Lebanese public. Some called for the immediate and public execution of the accused, claiming that was the only way to ensure political connections do not prevent the application of justice.

While the public’s frustration with the flawed Lebanese justice system is understandable, executions aren’t the solution.

A recent Lebanon report by the International Crisis Group called law-breaking, especially among the well-connected, a norm which often goes unpunished.

The current media and public discourse that began with this murder has now become focused more generally on the politicization of the judicial system. One local journalist wrote that the Lebanese people no longer trust the state and the judiciary. In this context, the calls for the death penalty can be seen as demands for serious accountability in the absence of an independent and effective judiciary.

Executions are not the answer. Between the barbaric execution of Lebanese soldiers by extremist groups, violent attacks on Alawite, Sunni, and Shiite neighborhoods, the last thing Lebanon needs is more killing, even state-sanctioned.

The death penalty in all cases is an inherently cruel punishment that cannot be reversed even when miscarriages of justice are found to take place.  Furthermore, study after study suggests that capital punishment does not deter crime more than other sanctions.

Human rights need to offer an effective moral guide in turbulent times. Government officials need to show they are addressing concerns by strengthening the rule of law and protecting the justice system from political interference, not through executions. Promoting a culture of accountability and access to fair trials is a step towards abolishing widespread impunity.