Iloubnan - CLDH calls human rights organisations to accompany them to Baabda court, October 6, 2011

On October 11, 2011, the representatives of CLDH will have to present themselves once again at the Baabda court in front of investigating Judge Jean Fernaini. The latter intends to continue the investigation of the claim filed by Amal movement (represented by the President of the Parliament Nabih Berri) against CLDH following the publication, on February 10, 2011, of its report entitled : « Arbitrary Detention and Torture : the bitter reality of Lebanon ». It is the second summons of CLDH by Judge Fernaini who postponed on July 6, 2011 his hearing to give CLDH sufficient time to appoint a lawyer. Two CLDH members have already been interrogated on March 22, 2011 in the framework of this lawsuit by the criminal investigation service at the Ministry of Justice in Beirut. They were not allowed to be assisted by a lawyer during the interrogation, and CLDH representatives refused to answer the investigators’ questions, claiming their right to remain silent guaranteed notably by article 47 of the Lebanese criminal procedure code. The lawsuit is based on 4 lines of a report that contains more than 60 pages tackling the alleged practices of most of the Lebanese security services dealing with arrests. But it seems that the mere mention of Amal is forbidden and taboo although the report is far from focusing on its alleged practices. Indeed, CLDH uncovered that it gathered testimonies of arrests by Amal Movement in which, in some cases, serious allegations of torture during investigation were revealed (page 25), while explaining in its conclusions that it was not possible to evaluate the frequency of these torture allegations specifically (page 29). CLDH calls upon their colleagues in Lebanon to accompany them to the summons in Baabda court on Tuesday 11 October, and upon international organizations to support them by calling on the Lebanese authorities to fulfill their obligation to protect human rights defenders against any pressure aiming at preventing them from carrying out their activities.