The prosecution in north Lebanon issued a decision Friday to expand their investigation into the death of Roula Yaacoub, who was found beaten and comatose last year after reportedly being attacked by her husband.
The prosecution also called on a number of witnesses to testify in court Monday. Yaacoub, 31, died upon arrival at the hospital after she was allegedly severely beaten in her home in Halba, Akkar.
According to her relatives and neighbors, her husband Karam al-Bazzi beat his wife and their five daughters on a regular basis, but a report issued earlier this year concluded that she did not die as a result of beating, and Bazzi was released shortly afterward.
The decision was met with protest by her family and women’s rights organizations who said the report was tampered with.
