Hanan Khaled
The lawyers of five protesters detained over last week’s standoff with police in Downtown Beirut said they would file new release requests Thursday after Military Investigative Judge Riad Abu Ghayda rejected initial release requests they submitted.
Abu Ghayda’s decision prompted angry protesters to briefly block the road outside the Military Tribunal in Beirut’s Mathaf area. They said Abu Ghayda didn’t justify his decision.
Demonstrators later opened the road but erected a tent near the Military Tribunal to indicate that their sit-in would not be lifted until the activists are released. Security forces rushed reinforcements to the vicinity of the Military Tribunal.
Former hunger striker Zein Nassereddine was snatched by security forces in civilian clothes hours after the protesters kick-started their open-ended sit-in.
The Internal Security Forces later announced on its official Twitter account the arrest of Nassereddine over previous charges against him.
“He is charged with issuing a check without balance and sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of LL1,000,000,” the ISF said.
Lawyer Wassef Harakeh refuted the Military Tribunal’s decision, saying it was already planned.
Three female protesters were summoned for questioning Thursday, including Maya Malkani, who said Monday that police treated her harshly for talking to the media after security forces snatched a camera memory card in her possession.
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