The Daily Star - Brothers given five months for Israeli internet links - February 26, 2011

By Youssef Diab

BEIRUT: The Permanent Military Tribunal handed down Friday a five-month sentence against  two Lebanese brothers for violating the boycott of Israel. Walid and Nadim Hweis were found  guilty of establishing an Internet station in the Barouk Mountains in 2007 that contained  Israeli-made devices that received illegal transmissions from an Israeli station in Haifa.  The Hweis brothers were also charged with retrieving two of the station devices  that were confiscated by the Telecommunications Ministry with the help of Fadi Qassem,  a ministry employee, who in return was paid $30,000 by the brothers. Qassem was  sentenced to three months in prison, while Mohammad Hamade received a two-month   sentence for involvement in the recovery process and Hagop Takian was fined LL1 million  for his involvement. The trial of Lebanese Army Col. Mansour Diab, who is charged with  collaborating with Israel, was postponed until April 1 and the trial of army  Lt. Col. Ghazwan Shahin, who faces the same charges, was postponed until June 3.  – Youssef Diab