Daily Star - Karam in hospital amid concerns for his health - September 24, 2010

FPM official suspected of spying for Israel may have been tortured by ISF, rights group claims
By Simona Sikimic

BEIRUT: Former General Fayyez Karam, a Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) official suspected of spying for Israel, was taken to Beirut’s Hotel Dieu Hospital on Thursday morning amid mixed reports concerning his health. FPM affiliated-media initially reported that he was rushed to the hospital because of heart problems but Internal Security Forces (ISF) said in a statement to the media that he was taken in for a pre-arranged, routine check-up and is in a stable condition.

The 62-year-old is now expected to spend the next week in hospital for treatment before returning to prison, the ISF said.

Human rights activists on Thursday called for the immediate end to proceedings against Karam, arrested in August on suspicion of spying for Israel.

It is alleged that Karam, a senior FPM official, has been denied proper access to counsel and was interrogated without the presence of a lawyer, in contradiction to Lebanese law.

Karam was transferred this week to a “special” wing of Roumieh prison inaccessible to non-governmental organizations, where there are fears he could have been unduly pressured or even tortured by the ISF, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) said.

“The multiple violations of the detainee’s rights, as guaranteed by the Lebanese law and Lebanon’s international commitments, are so serious that his detention is arbitrary,” CLDH said. “Karam is not only subjected to arbitrary detention, but also at risk for his physical and psychological integrity, especially as he is 62 years old and has serious health problems.”

Karam’s right to a fair trial has been put in serious doubt after libelous reports appeared in “some unscrupulous media” outlets claiming that he had confessed to espionage even before his file was referred to the Justice System, CLDH said.

“This may constitute a serious violation to the confidentiality of the investigation and the presumption of innocence which the inmate … is [entitled to] under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” they said.

Several unconfirmed media leaks emerged following his arrest, but these were all firmly denied by FPM leader, Michel Aoun.

In more recent reports, MTV on Wednesday alleged that Karam had links with an Israeli intelligence officer in London and that this connection caused him to approach Aoun during the 2006 summer war with suggestions that Aoun act as “mediator” between Hizbullah and Israel to end the conflict.

This incident confirms Aoun’s knowledge of Karam’s Israeli links, MTV said.

Citing an anonymous FPM source, MTV reported that Karam admitted his involvement to First Military Investigative Magistrate Riyad Abu Ghayda, and that his confession prompted Aoun to lash out and attack the ISF Information Branch and State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza.

Last week Aoun branded the ISF “an armed gang” and called for a parliamentary committee to investigate Mirza.