(The Daily Star)- Lebanese political figures expressed outrage for a second day Thursday at what they felt was a soft sentence handed down to former Information Minister Michel Samaha over transporting explosives, with MP Walid Jumblatt saying it "legalizes terrorism."
The military court Wednesday sentenced Samaha, who was being tried on terror charges, to four-and-a-half judicial years in prison. Given that he had been in custody since 2012, the ex-minister will be set for release in December. A judicial year is equal to nine months.
“The verdict against Michel Samaha legalizes murder and terrorism,” Jumblatt posted on Twitter Thursday.
The March 14 coalition said in a statement after a meeting Thursday that “there is a feeling the Military Tribunal has become grasped by partisan sides.”
Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk took a more moderate stance on the matter Thursday, speaking during a visit to the shrine of late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Downtown Beirut.
“March 14 is dealing with the sentence handed to former minister Michel Samaha in the framework of the laws and legal procedures,” he said. “We will work on preventing the repetition of what took place, so that the Lebanese are ruled with a unified balance.”
Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi had responded to sentence with anger Wednesday, mourning “the death of the Military Tribunal” and saying he “will work through all means to amend the law of military verdicts.”
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea echoed Rifi’s statement.
“We all stand with Ashraf Rifi in his reaction, and it is time to get rid of the exceptional courts, on top of them the military tribunal, and return to civilian courts,” he wrote on Twitter Thursday.
“The military court’s verdict in the case of Samaha undermines the Lebanese citizen’s trust in his state and in the existence of justice on this earth,” he added. “Is this the purpose?”
Future MP Ammar Houri described the verdict as a “farce” and a “crime against Lebanese security and safety.”
“Today is a national day of mourning over justice in Lebanon,” he said, saying that former police spy chief Wissam al-Hasan was killed in 2012 because he prevented the terrorist plots.
“Shameful” was the word chosen by Future MP Mohammad Qabbani to describe the sentence.
“Some detainees in Roumieh, some of whom are innocent, have been there for seven years and still get no trials,” he said. “While the convict Michel Samaha who confessed to a terrorist crime that could have exploded the country, is given four and a half years.”
“This verdict comes against martyr Wissam al-Hasan after his assassination, because he discovered this terrorist crime,” he added, warning that “it encourages others like him to betray the country.”
Both Qabbani and Houri said the verdict served as proof that the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon was needed to investigate late-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s killing, because Lebanon’s judiciary is not capable of carrying it out fairly.
Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra said the military court should only be given the authority of looking into cases related to servicemen.
He added that the fact that the court is subject to the authority of a military leader and not the Justice Minister means it is not accountable to the public.
“They depicted him as innocent and shallow, as if he did not know exactly what he was doing... although he is known for his role as a link between Syrian and international intelligence agencies."
Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who has held close ties with Syria, also denounced the court’s sentence.
“The verdict issued yesterday night against former minister Michel Samaha raises a fundamental problematic around the equality between the Lebanese before the law and judiciary,” he tweeted.
Mikati warned that the judiciary’s integrity was at stake given the difference between Samaha’s case and the cases of other detainees who are held for years without trial over similar charges.
Last month, Samaha confessed that he had transported explosives into Lebanon with the aim of targeting Lebanese politicians and religious figures, saying that he was lured to do so by a police intelligence agent named Milad Kfoury.
Both Samaha and his defense team Wednesday presented the argument that Kfoury was as guilty as Samaha and should stand trial.
The military court Wednesday sentenced Samaha, who was being tried on terror charges, to four-and-a-half judicial years in prison. Given that he had been in custody since 2012, the ex-minister will be set for release in December. A judicial year is equal to nine months.
“The verdict against Michel Samaha legalizes murder and terrorism,” Jumblatt posted on Twitter Thursday.
The March 14 coalition said in a statement after a meeting Thursday that “there is a feeling the Military Tribunal has become grasped by partisan sides.”
Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk took a more moderate stance on the matter Thursday, speaking during a visit to the shrine of late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Downtown Beirut.
“March 14 is dealing with the sentence handed to former minister Michel Samaha in the framework of the laws and legal procedures,” he said. “We will work on preventing the repetition of what took place, so that the Lebanese are ruled with a unified balance.”
Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi had responded to sentence with anger Wednesday, mourning “the death of the Military Tribunal” and saying he “will work through all means to amend the law of military verdicts.”
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea echoed Rifi’s statement.
“We all stand with Ashraf Rifi in his reaction, and it is time to get rid of the exceptional courts, on top of them the military tribunal, and return to civilian courts,” he wrote on Twitter Thursday.
“The military court’s verdict in the case of Samaha undermines the Lebanese citizen’s trust in his state and in the existence of justice on this earth,” he added. “Is this the purpose?”
Future MP Ammar Houri described the verdict as a “farce” and a “crime against Lebanese security and safety.”
“Today is a national day of mourning over justice in Lebanon,” he said, saying that former police spy chief Wissam al-Hasan was killed in 2012 because he prevented the terrorist plots.
“Shameful” was the word chosen by Future MP Mohammad Qabbani to describe the sentence.
“Some detainees in Roumieh, some of whom are innocent, have been there for seven years and still get no trials,” he said. “While the convict Michel Samaha who confessed to a terrorist crime that could have exploded the country, is given four and a half years.”
“This verdict comes against martyr Wissam al-Hasan after his assassination, because he discovered this terrorist crime,” he added, warning that “it encourages others like him to betray the country.”
Both Qabbani and Houri said the verdict served as proof that the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon was needed to investigate late-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s killing, because Lebanon’s judiciary is not capable of carrying it out fairly.
Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra said the military court should only be given the authority of looking into cases related to servicemen.
He added that the fact that the court is subject to the authority of a military leader and not the Justice Minister means it is not accountable to the public.
“They depicted him as innocent and shallow, as if he did not know exactly what he was doing... although he is known for his role as a link between Syrian and international intelligence agencies."
Former Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who has held close ties with Syria, also denounced the court’s sentence.
“The verdict issued yesterday night against former minister Michel Samaha raises a fundamental problematic around the equality between the Lebanese before the law and judiciary,” he tweeted.
Mikati warned that the judiciary’s integrity was at stake given the difference between Samaha’s case and the cases of other detainees who are held for years without trial over similar charges.
Last month, Samaha confessed that he had transported explosives into Lebanon with the aim of targeting Lebanese politicians and religious figures, saying that he was lured to do so by a police intelligence agent named Milad Kfoury.
Both Samaha and his defense team Wednesday presented the argument that Kfoury was as guilty as Samaha and should stand trial.
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