March 23,2010 - Daily Star - Mothers of detained Fatah al Islam members hold protest.doc

BEIRUT: Mothers of Islamist inmates held at Roumieh prison protested in front of the Justice Palace in Beirut Monday demanding fairer treatment for their sons and that their trials be brought to court quicker.
The mothers gathered on the occasion of Mothers’ Day and their protest came after their children, members of the Al-Qaeda inspired Fatah al-Islam militant group, broke out in riot last week.
The inmates broke windows and threw the glass into the jail’s courtyard in objection to the restrictions on face-to-face meetings with relatives, and the quality of food they receive, which they deemed “impure.”
The mothers condemned the “injustice” their children were facing as well as the judgments issued by the Military Tribunal. They also demanded trials be brought to hearing at the Justice Palace in shorter time.
One of the protesters gave a statement on behalf of the mothers in which she regretted the “extraordinary excuses” the inmates’ mothers often received from officials.
She added that the protesters were still waiting for a new building to be constructed which would be able to hold and prosecute hundreds of inmates, and would be able to receive visiting relatives.
The statement read out on Sunday also mentioned “forced confessions and threats received by the suspects and their families in case they withdrew their testimonies.”
The protesters issued a second statement in which they asked whether the law in Lebanon was based on justice or injustice. – The Daily Star