A public execution in Lebanon last year

On September 14, Lebanese Military Tribunal Judge Rashid Mezher recommended the death sentence for a man and his wife being tried on charges of spying for Israel. Army First Adjutant Hussein Ali Alayan, 37, and Rula Ali Hassan, 28, allegedly provided Israel with information about Syrian and Lebanese military positions, Hezbollah training sites, arms depots, as well as detailed intelligence about the movements of high-ranking Hezbollah officials. Mezher accused the two of contacts "with the Israeli enemy and its agents, entering that country illegally and revealing information that helped the enemy to kill some people." A verdict is expected within two weeks.

According to the indictment, Alayan, who reportedly trained commandos for the pro-Syrian Amal militia, had been passing information to Israeli using high-tech communications equipment since 1986. He is also accused of making several trips to Israel, where he underwent training by the Mossad.

The Lebanese government, one of the few regimes in the world that still carries out public executions, is believed to be pushing for the death sentence at the behest of Damascus, which wants to make an example of the two in order to prevent other collaborators from defecting.

Mezher recommended sentences of up to 15 years for Alayan's father Ali, 68, his mother Khadijeh Mroueh, 66, and his brother, Hassan, 35, whose whereabouts are unknown. The judge also recommended up to 15 years imprisonment for Ali Mustafa Alayan and Youssef Musa Siblini, both of whom served as middlemen in the exchange and are believed to be in Israel.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's Military Tribunal has continued the prosecution and imprisonment of 220 South Lebanon Army (SLA) militiamen who voluntarily surrendered to Lebanese security forces after the SLA withdrawal from Jezzine in June. On August 26, the court sentenced 29 militiamen to prison terms ranging from six months to two years for "collaboration with the enemy." On September 15, another 17 militiamen were sentenced, including two senior commanders, who received 15 years imprisonment. The sentences have been criticized by the Council of Maronite Bishops, which called on the government to remember "that the former militiamen were forced into the SLA to support their families."