Lebanon: Whether the Permanent Military Court of the Ministry of National Defence publishes in Lebanese newspaper the names of individuals in the SLA who have been convicted of collaborating with Israel; whether any of these names were published in April 1998
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LBN31929.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Lebanon: Whether the Permanent Military Court of the Ministry of National Defence publishes in Lebanese newspaper the names of individuals in the SLA who have been convicted of collaborating with Israel; whether any of these names were published in April 1998, 1 June 1999, LBN31929.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aacaa8.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on whether the Permanent Military Court of the Ministry of National defence publishes in Lebanese newspaper the names of individuals in the SLA who have been convicted of collaborating with Israel, and on whether any of these names were published in April 1998 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
The Middle East Research Service (MERS), a Beirut-based clipping service covering Middle Eastern and Lebanese newspapers (English, French and Arabic), could not find any articles Israel for April 1998 published in Lebanese newspapers regarding the names of individuals in the SLA who have been convicted of collaborating with (1 June 1999).
As reported in L'Orient-le-jour, 17 people in Lebanon have been convicted by the Military Court for spying for Israel and the SLA (9 July 1998). However, the article does not refer to the convicted collaborators as members of the SLA (ibid.).
The only reference to SLA members who had their names cited publicly was in relation to the December 1996 sentencing of Antoine Lahad and Étienne Saqr. According to Radio Lebanon,
The Permanent Military Court, presided over by Brig.-Gen. Zayd Halawah, has passed its verdict in the case involving contacts made by [South Lebanon Army, SLA, Commander] agent Antoine Lahd and [Guardians of the Cedar party leader] agent Étienne Saqr [or Sukkar]. The court handed down the death sentence against agent Lahd and a life sentence with hard labour against agent Saqr.
The verdict, which was passed in absentia against the two, followed their trial on charges of dealing with the Israeli enemy and entering its country. Saqr was accused of initiating recent contacts with the Israeli enemy and its agents in and outside the Lebanese territories, of divulging information to the enemy, and of entering the enemy country without prior permission (7 Dec. 1996).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
L'Orient-le-jour [Beirut]. 9 July 1998. "Arrestations de 17 membres d'un réseau pro-israélien."
Middle East Research Service (MERS), Beirut. 1 June 1999. Telephone interview.
Radio Lebanon [Beirut]. 7 December 1996. "SLA's Lahd Sentenced to Death in Absentia." (BBC Summary 9 Dec. 1996/NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
The Daily Star [Beirut]. Daily. 1998
Electronic sources: Internet, WNC, LEXIS-NEXIS
The Lebanon Report [Beirut]. Quarterly. 1998
Middle East International [London]. Bi-Monthly. 1998
The Middle East [London]. Monthly. 1998
Monde Arabe Maghreb-Machrek [Paris]. Quarterly. 1998.
Le Monde [Paris]. Daily. 1998
Two oral sources did not have information on this subject.
