The Amal Movement, whose flag is pictured above, is suing authors of a human rights report over allegations in the report that the party tortures suspected Israeli spies. (AFP Photo/Patrick Baz)
The Amal Movement is suing a human rights organization for reporting that the group arrests and tortures alleged Israeli spies, a charge Amal denies.
In January, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) published a report on torture and arbitrary detention in Lebanon. CLDH reported that “During this study, nearly all detainees arrested on suspicion of collaboration with Israel complained of torture, regardless of the interrogation services. In some cases, Amal and Hezbollah militias are involved in the arrest and practice torture on their ‘detainees,’ with no legal grounds for their detention, prior to handing them over to the authorized Lebanese services.”
Later the report notes, “It was also impossible to effectively assess the prevalence of allegations of torture perpetrated by Amal and Hezbollah militias.”
Ali Hamdan, an Amal spokesperson, told NOW Lebanon that the allegations of Amal torturing suspected spies is not true and that the group brought the lawsuit in line with its legal rights.
“We don’t deny that if we know there is a spy that we take them and deliver them [to authorities],” Hamdan said. “But they said that Amal takes them and tortures them… This, they said, is based on allegations; they don’t have evidence or documents… How can you accuse someone based on interviews?”
Wadih al-Asmar, executive director of the CLDH, told NOW Lebanon that the information in the report came from interviews.
“We [heard] allegations, and we state in the document that they are allegations…We are a human rights group, not a prosecutor going and collecting evidence,” he said.
On March 14, Asmar said, members of the CLDH were told via telephone to report to the criminal investigation department at the Ministry of Justice for questioning on March 17. When the activists arrived at the ministry, they were told the person conducting the investigation was not available for personal reasons and that the questioning would be rescheduled.
However, Asmar said, all communication from authorities has been oral. The CLDH has not received written summons nor have they seen the lawsuit. They were only told that Amal is suing the authors of the report.
“We find this case from a party that is in power as a threat against our right to freedom of expression,” he said. Asmar added that he and others also went to public prosecutor Said Mirza’s office to try obtaining documents related to the case to no avail. Attempts to get a comment from the public prosecutor’s office were unsuccessful.
Darine al-Hajj, executive director of Alef, another human rights group that is also investigating torture and arbitrary detention, said she was upset by the lawsuit, which she thinks is intended to send a message to the human rights community in Lebanon.
“We think this is a threat to the role of all human rights defenders in Lebanon,” she said. “This was a bit of a surprise because there was a momentum where there wasn’t any kind of harassment, any kind of threat [for the most part]”from the government against human rights groups.
This positive momentum, she said, was in stark contrast to the “dangerous” environment human rights groups in Lebanon faced while Syrian troops were in the country. However, it will not have a chilling effect on the community, she said.
“What happened is not going to stop us from writing reports or issuing press releases,” Hajj said. She added that several local and international human rights groups have condemned the lawsuit.
Hamdan dismissed the notion that the suit intended to send a message or threaten human rights groups. He insisted that Amal does not torture detainees and said the party was merely pursuing its right, in a legal manner, to keep its name from being defamed.
Aside from the accusations against Amal and Hezbollah, the report condemned Lebanon’s security services for routinely practicing torture and arbitrarily detaining suspects. Caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, in February, vowed to “investigate and fight any abuses,” Executive magazine reported.
In January, the Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) published a report on torture and arbitrary detention in Lebanon. CLDH reported that “During this study, nearly all detainees arrested on suspicion of collaboration with Israel complained of torture, regardless of the interrogation services. In some cases, Amal and Hezbollah militias are involved in the arrest and practice torture on their ‘detainees,’ with no legal grounds for their detention, prior to handing them over to the authorized Lebanese services.”
Later the report notes, “It was also impossible to effectively assess the prevalence of allegations of torture perpetrated by Amal and Hezbollah militias.”
Ali Hamdan, an Amal spokesperson, told NOW Lebanon that the allegations of Amal torturing suspected spies is not true and that the group brought the lawsuit in line with its legal rights.
“We don’t deny that if we know there is a spy that we take them and deliver them [to authorities],” Hamdan said. “But they said that Amal takes them and tortures them… This, they said, is based on allegations; they don’t have evidence or documents… How can you accuse someone based on interviews?”
Wadih al-Asmar, executive director of the CLDH, told NOW Lebanon that the information in the report came from interviews.
“We [heard] allegations, and we state in the document that they are allegations…We are a human rights group, not a prosecutor going and collecting evidence,” he said.
On March 14, Asmar said, members of the CLDH were told via telephone to report to the criminal investigation department at the Ministry of Justice for questioning on March 17. When the activists arrived at the ministry, they were told the person conducting the investigation was not available for personal reasons and that the questioning would be rescheduled.
However, Asmar said, all communication from authorities has been oral. The CLDH has not received written summons nor have they seen the lawsuit. They were only told that Amal is suing the authors of the report.
“We find this case from a party that is in power as a threat against our right to freedom of expression,” he said. Asmar added that he and others also went to public prosecutor Said Mirza’s office to try obtaining documents related to the case to no avail. Attempts to get a comment from the public prosecutor’s office were unsuccessful.
Darine al-Hajj, executive director of Alef, another human rights group that is also investigating torture and arbitrary detention, said she was upset by the lawsuit, which she thinks is intended to send a message to the human rights community in Lebanon.
“We think this is a threat to the role of all human rights defenders in Lebanon,” she said. “This was a bit of a surprise because there was a momentum where there wasn’t any kind of harassment, any kind of threat [for the most part]”from the government against human rights groups.
This positive momentum, she said, was in stark contrast to the “dangerous” environment human rights groups in Lebanon faced while Syrian troops were in the country. However, it will not have a chilling effect on the community, she said.
“What happened is not going to stop us from writing reports or issuing press releases,” Hajj said. She added that several local and international human rights groups have condemned the lawsuit.
Hamdan dismissed the notion that the suit intended to send a message or threaten human rights groups. He insisted that Amal does not torture detainees and said the party was merely pursuing its right, in a legal manner, to keep its name from being defamed.
Aside from the accusations against Amal and Hezbollah, the report condemned Lebanon’s security services for routinely practicing torture and arbitrarily detaining suspects. Caretaker Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, in February, vowed to “investigate and fight any abuses,” Executive magazine reported.
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