Anti-Hizbullah Cleric Candidate Released from Detention
Anti-Hizbullah cleric Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari, who is running for a Shiite parliamentary seat in the Baalbek-Hermel district, was released Friday from detention after around 24 hours in custody.
The National News Agency said Jawhari was ordered released by Judge Monzer Zebian.
Al-Jadeed television said the cleric was freed in an “extraordinary” fashion.
“The court was closed, but Judge Monzer Zebian headed to it at the request of the Higher Judicial Council. He then held an extraordinary session in which a bail was set and Sheikh Jawhari was released,” al-Jadeed said.
Speaking after his release, the cleric said he “had not been aware” of the outstanding arrest warrant on which he was detained by General Security on Thursday.
“The relevant authorities intervened quickly to know the reason and the examining magistrate listened to my testimony and ordered my release,” Jawhari said.
“A country without a judiciary becomes a jungle and a country without decent security agencies become defenseless, that's why I have full confidence in our security agencies and in the judiciary that has quickly done me justice,” the cleric added.
In a statement issued Thursday, General Security had said Jawhari was apprehended after arriving at its headquarters to carry out a transaction related to a domestic worker.
“It turned out that there is an outstanding arrest warrant against him carrying the number 86/869 and issued on February 12, 2018 by Mount Lebanon's examining magistrate over a drug-related offense. After consulting with Mount Lebanon's public prosecution, it ordered the arrest of SheikhJawhari and demanded that he be referred to it,” General Security said.
“Accordingly, the cleric was referred to the aforementioned public prosecutor's office on the same date,” the security agency added.
Jawhari's press office also issued a statement on Thursday about the arrest.
“Around five years ago, a brother of incumbent MP Hussein al-Moussawi rented an apartment in Baalbek for eighth months... Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari had rented the same apartment before Mr. Moussawi,” the press office said.
“After Mr. Moussawi's departure from the rental apartment, a quantity of Captagon was seized in it and both Mr. Moussawi and Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari were subjected to an investigation. It turned out later that it was a malicious ploy by Hizbullah to frame Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari and target him over his opposition to Hizbullah's fighting in Syria,” the office added.
“Sheikh al-Jawhari issued later a statement confirming his innocence and the fabricated ploy,” the office said.
It added that the cleric was arrested Thursday “under the alibi of the same file.”
“Hizbullah exerted pressure to oust Sheikh al-Jawhari from the race for the 2018 parliament because the cleric is the only Shiite who has the ability to clinch a seat from Hizbullah's list,” the press office alleged.
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