Lebanese authorities sentenced five Syrians on terrorism charges

The military court in Lebanon has sentenced five Syrians to capital punishment or life imprisonment for killing soldiers at the Battle of Arsal in 2014.

The court found that the five Syrians belong to the “terrorist group” Jabhat al-Nusra and participated in the battle against both the Syrian and Lebanese armies in Arsal, as reported by the Lebanese channel MTV on Tuesday (October 5).

Authorities in Lebanon have previously accused Syrians residing in Lebanon of terrorism and affiliation with armed groups in Syria. As a consequence, hundreds of men, women, and children have been subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, and unfair trial.

In a report issued last March, “How Much I Wished to Die,” Amnesty International documented violations by Lebanese Army intelligence against 26 Syrian detainees. The violations included fair trial violations and torture involving beatings with metal sticks, electric cables, and plastic pipes.

According to the report, the Lebanese authorities are using some of the same horrific torture methods used in Syria’s worst-known prisons against Syrian refugees, who have been detained on terrorism-related charges.

The report also highlighted detainees being suspended from their legs and forced to endure stressful physical conditions for long periods, as well as two women being subjected to sexual harassment and verbal abuse in custody. One woman was forced to watch security officers torture her son, while the other was forced to watch her husband being beaten.

Amnesty International considers the trials against Syrians a violation of human rights. The proceedings do not guarantee a fair trial, as a terrorism suspect is referred to a military court for investigation and trial under Lebanese law.

Source: Syrian Observer