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| Vol. 3 No. 3 | Table of Contents MEIB Main Page | March 2001 |
State Department Report Slams Human Rights Abuses in Lebanon
US State Department's annual report on human rights in Lebanon, released last month, called the Lebanon's human rights record "poor" and highlighted the detrimental impact of Syrian military forces stationed in the country. The report said that the outcome of the 2000 parliamentary elections "was heavily influenced by the Syrian government" and that "the Syrian government heavily influenced the electoral law governing the process and also pre-approved all of the candidates on alliance slates who won seats" in the legislature. It also noted that Damascus had not pulled out its military forces in compliance with the 1989 Ta'if Accord, adding that "strong Syrian influence over Lebanese politics and decision-makers makes officials unwilling to press for a complete withdrawal."
The report also noted that security forces "detained and interrogated scores of citizens . . . these detentions and searches of homes took place without warrants, and detainees claim that they were not given access to lawyers." While it said that the judiciary is independent in principle, "influential politicians as well as Syrian and Lebanese intelligence officers sometimes intervene to protect their supporters from prosecution." The report questioned the validity of trials against former members of the pro-Israeli South Lebanon Army (SLA) militia.
After receiving a copy of the report on February 27, officials in Beirut sent a memo to the State Department through the Lebanese embassy in Washington, arguing that the Syrian presence in Lebanon should not have been mentioned, since it is "legal and temporary." Officials also complained to US Assistant Secretary of State Edward Walker during his visit to Beirut early this month.
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| Kamal el Batal |
French MPs Call for Syrian Withdrawal
62 members of the French parliament signed a petition last month calling on French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin to push for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, the release of all Lebanese detainees held by Syria, and the holding of free elections under UN auspices. The signatories pledged to "follow up developments in Lebanon and keep up their drive until it recovers its full sovereignty and total independence within its internationally recognized boundaries." The petition, released on the eve of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri's visit to Paris on February 13, was reportedly organized by supporters of former Prime Minister Michel Aoun. A similar petition is said to be making its way through the European parliament.
UK Designates Hezbollah as a Terrorist Organization
On February 28, the British Home Office released a list of proscribed "terrorist" organizations that includes "External Security Organization" of the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah. A statement from the Home Office explained that Hezbollah's "terrorist wing" has been responsible for "car bombing, hijacking and kidnapping Western and Israeli/Jewish targets in Israel, Western Europe, and South America." Specifically, the statement blamed Hezbollah for the 1983 bombings of the US Embassy in Beirut and the US Marine and French Paratroop barracks, two bombings of Jewish targets in Argentina, as well as four hijackings between 1984 and 1988.
Unlike the US, Britain has not previously maintained a list of foreign terrorist groups banned from operating inside its borders. As a result, London has served as a safe haven for numerous groups accused of perpetrating terrorist acts abroad. The new measure, which must be approved by parliament, prohibits fund-raising for banned organizations and allows the authorities to detain suspected terrorists for up to a week without charge.
Hezbollah "Terrorist" Arrested in Israel
On February 5, Israeli authorities arrested a member of Hezbollah who had entered the country to plan terrorist attacks. According to the Israeli Government Press Office, Jihad Aya Latif Shuman (b. 1969), a Shi'ite Muslim Lebanese citizen was arrested in central Jerusalem six days after entering the country under the alias of "Gerard Shuman". Shuman's possessions included a timer, maps of the Jerusalem area, a large sum of money, a video camera, two disposable cameras, and several cellular phones. Investigators say that Shuman has confessed that he was sent by Hezbollah to ""perpetrate terrorist missions and attacks inside Israel."
Holocaust Deniers to Hold Conference in Beirut
An international conference of Holocaust denial organizations will be held from March 31 to April 4 in Beirut despite protests from the US government and Jewish organizations around the world. Sponsors of the "Revisionist and Zionism Conference" conference include the California-based Institute for Historical Review and the Swiss group Verite et Justice. Verite et Justice President Mark Weber was recently quoted in Al-Safir (Beirut) as saying that "Israel and Zionist organizations are using the Holocaust for blackmail to force European states and companies to pay hundreds of billion dollars to Israel." Attendees of the conference will include French writers Roger Garaudi and Robert Forisson, and German jurist Horst Maller.
Alleged Israeli Spies Face Death Penalty
Earlier this month, Lebanese authorities arrested 10 members of what they called a pro-Israeli espionage ring earlier this month. Those arrested are said to include a Palestinian who is high-ranking member of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. Most of the Lebanese citizens arrested have links to either the now defunct South Lebanon Army (SLA) or the banned Lebanese Forces (LF) militia. Military Prosecutor Nasri Lahoud has demanded the death penalty for the 10 suspects, plus 14 others who are not in custody, on charges of spying for Israel, staging "terrorist" attacks, and entering Israel for espionage and military training courses since 1986.