Lebanon's Military Tribunal continues unjustly persecuting
Dr. Muhamad Mugraby !!
By: *Elias Bejjani
April 3/2006

Indeed, with a loud and clear voice, like John the Baptist’s voice in the wilderness, we ask everyone in Lebanon without exception – from religious instances, presidents, government and regime, to judges and the justice system, members of Parliament of the minority and the majority, the Lawyers Bar, the press and the journalists, Human Rights organizations
and others working in the public and private sectors, in politics and in the law, we ask all these people why the silence and looking the other way over the insistence by the Military Tribunal (Military Court), against any law and norm of conduct, to proceed with its egregious violation of the rights, the professional dignity and the citizenship of  Human Rights Activist, Dr. Muhamad Mugraby.

Why is the Military tribunal allowed without any over sight to persist in its unjustified refusal to abide by the law and leave this man and his business to continue unfettered in the pursuit of life, work, and his humane and legal services, after all that he has
suffered so far from oppression, deprivation, attacks, and violation of his rights?

We ask why the official silence by the Parliament and the Unions? Why is the Military Tribunal allowed to continue with its prosecution of Dr. Mugraby under fabricated charges that are leftovers from the Syrian occupation era of collaboration and treachery that was eliminated under the feet of the young men and women of the Cedars Revolution?

Is this how Dr. Mugraby is rewarded, he who stood like a giant throughout the Syrian occupation era refusing to be silenced over the trashing of justice and the violation of rights and the law? He who exposed unreservedly and without fear all the collaborators and the traitors, those who sold their conscience to the highest bidders against the interests of their nation and their people?

How can we deny the sacrifices and the contributions of the man who valiantly and brilliantly defended in the courts students, lawyers, jurists and activists who were arrested arbitrarily? Or the property owners of the old souks of Beirut whose properties were illegally confiscated by Solidere, the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s own company? Or the detainees in the Syrian prisons? And the list is long. While many went silent out of fear, he raised his voice loud and clear trying to modernize the bylaws of the Lawyers Bar, only to be punished by his fellow lawyers in collusion with the pro-Syrian regime by denying him
his right to practice his profession, by isolating him and abandoning him?

He refused to accept the fait accompli of the occupation and he stood up to all attempts by the men and Intelligence Services of the occupation to lay their hands on the process of the justice system. As a result, the forces of injustice, the Addoums (*Adnan Addoum) and the Ghazalehs (*Rustom Ghazaleh) fabricated their accusations against him. He was detained, he was humiliated, then he was released, but the false accusations against him were never thrown out and they were left hanging over his head as a means to intimidate him.

Then, isn’t it the utmost absurdity and dereliction of justice today, after the forces of occupation were evicted from the country and their local collaborators in the Intelligence Services were thrown in jail, for the Military Tribunal to continue its prosecution of Dr. Mugraby and deny him the most basic of his rights, the right to defend himself according to the laws in force. The Tribunal continues to persecute this man as if nothing has changed, as if the Syrian Baathist occupation through its notorious figures Ghazaleh, Addoum, Al-Sayyed, Azar, and all the Mafiosi men of that era continue to cast their violence and decide the fate of the Lebanese people in their purely Stalinist and Assadist (Syrias's Baathist rulers, the late President Hafez Al Assad and Syria's current president, his son Bashar) methods.

We call on everyone and ask them: What is the purpose in continuing the persecution of this human being who is a value onto himself for his courage, credibility, knowledge, clean record and pioneering work in the area of the defense of the rights of the oppressed and as a witness for the truth?

To all the rulers and judges of Lebanon: How is it possible that the justice system of Lebanon exculpates *Sultan Abu Al-Aynain from the charges of murder, conspiracy and assembly into armed gangs and other similar crimes, then throws out his death sentence during a session of the Military Tribunal that lasted only a few minutes, when the same Tribunal refuses
with obstinacy to even accept the appeals request from Dr. Mugraby?

What justice is this that finds the Deniyye fundamentalist group, the Anjar gang, the Bin Laden followers and the so called Soldiers of Al-Sham terrorists, and all the Mafiosi leaders of the Lebanese, Syrian, Arab and Palestinian militias and the murderers all more worthy of an amnesty than the militant for Human Rights Dr. Mugraby?

To all of you people of the Lebanese regime, the judiciary, and the other institutions, lift the threat hanging over Dr. Mugraby, and honor him and benefit from his knowledge, experience and clean hand, instead of torturing him, oppressing him, and attacking his rights.

Work with him, instead of fearing him, and leave him alone. Otherwise, all your claims of patriotism, freedom, and emancipation are false!

Elias Bejjani
*Human Rights activist, journalist & political commentator.
*Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF)
*Media Chairman for the Canadian Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC)
*Writer's E.Mail phoenicia@hotmail.com


Background
Ministry of National Defense Military Court Office of Military Prosecution No. 1952 Received on 10/6/2005 No. 2890/2005 To the Permanent Military Court We the Government’s Commissioner before the Military Court, after having reviewed Article 50 of the Code of Penal Procedure and Article 23 of the Military Penal Code, and as there is sufficient evidence in the attached minutes to indict Muhamad Abdullah Mugraby, his mother’s name being Fatima, That he, on Lebanese territory and on a date not subject to the statute of limitations, did infringe on the reputation of the military establishment and its officers, a crime punishable under Article 157 Military Justice. Whereupon we ask the Permanent Military Court to proceed with the trial and if the crime is proven to determine the penalty. 8/6/2005Commissioner of the Government before the Military Court
Judge Jean Fahd

Notes
*Adnan Addoum: Lebanon's attorney general in Lebanon during the Syrian occupation era.
*Rustoum Ghazaleh: Was appointed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2002 to succeed Col. Ghazi Kanaan as head of Syrian Intelligence in Lebanon. Between 2002-05 he acted as the de facto ruler of Lebanon, brokering deals in its complex sectarian politics and variously persuading, bribing and forcing his opponents to align with Syrian policies. He resided in the Bekaa valley, and has been accused of involvement in the Bekaa drug trade and other smuggling ventures.
*Maj. Gen. Sultan Abul-Aynain, leader of the mainstream Fatah group of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Lebanon
*General Jamil al-Sayed, Lebanon's former Internal Security chief, currently in prison in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri.
*General Raymond Azar, Lebanon's former Army Intelligence Director, currently in prison in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri.