BEIRUT:
Supporters of the Lebanese Army and families of military officers held in the
case of the May killing of a Muslim preacher and his companion staged a sit-in
at the Abdeh Square in Akkar Sunday demanding the officers’ release, the
state-run National News Agency reported.
The
protesters carried placards demanding a transparent and fair trial in the case
of the killing of the two sheikhs and the release of the arrested military
personnel. They also voiced their support for the Army as “the protector of the
country and the guarantor of security for all the Lebanese,” the NNA said.
The
sit-in came a day after three Lebanese Army officers, who were released earlier
in the month on bail in the case of the killing of Sheikhs Ahmad Abdel-Wahed
and Hussein al-Mereb, were detained once again.
Military
Judge Riad Abu Ghida took the decision after further questioning of the three
officers, judicial sources said. The three officers as well as eight other
soldiers were released on bail July 5 in the case of the two sheikhs who were
shot dead at an army checkpoint in Akkar, north Lebanon, on May 20. Five other
soldiers remain in custody.
Abdel-Wahed
was an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The
release of the officers led to road blocks by residents of Akkar.
Akkar
figures and politicians have also voiced anger over the handling of the
investigation and insist that it be referred to the county’s judicial highest
authority, threatening to take action should the case remain in the hands of
the Military Tribunal.
Meanwhile, former Prime
Minister Saad Hariri praised the Military Tribunal’s decision to again arrest
the three officers, saying the move improved confidence in the Army and justice
in the country. “Justice and the Army are two main institutions to build the
state and they should always win the confidence of the Lebanese.”
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Jul-16/180742-families-demand-release-of-officers-held-in-killing.ashx
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