Long-Awaited Trial of Nahr al-Bared Detainees Kicks Off at Roumieh Prison
The long-awaited trial of a number of Islamist detainees held over the Nahr al-Bared clashes got underway Friday at the recently-inaugurated trial room in the Roumieh prison, state-run National News Agency reported.
The trial room was recently built specifically for this purpose.
The Judicial Council, presided over by Judge Jean Fahd, convened amid strict security measures at the external and internal courtyards of Roumieh, NNA said.
The public and the reporters were able to see the defendants through a glass barrier and via two huge screens that were installed on two of the court's walls. Only four lawyers were present at the trial room, which was designed to accommodate around 200 family members and defense counsels, according to the news agency.
In the evening, the Judicial Council adjourned the trial to January 17, 2014.
On July 15, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel inspected the courtroom in Roumieh, which he said was ready to start the trial of inmates.
The courtroom “saves us the effort to transport the prisoners (to the Justice Palace) and it provides security protection,” he said. “It also speeds up the trials of not just the Islamists but all the inmates,” he added.
Roumieh, the oldest and largest of Lebanon's overcrowded prisons, has witnessed sporadic prison breaks and escalating riots in recent years as inmates living in poor conditions demand better treatment.
Pretrial hearings for 86 Islamists were held at Beirut's Justice Palace in February, the first legal action taken by the Lebanese judiciary ahead of their trial.
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi had promised speedy trials for the Islamists without political intervention.
The Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon was almost totally destroyed during a months-long conflict between the Lebanese army and the al-Qaida-inspired group Fatah al-Islam in 2007.
The fighting killed some 400 people, including 168 soldiers. Some Islamist leaders escaped despite the army siege of the camp.
The inmates were arrested on charges of fighting or aiding the Fatah al-Islam fighters in Nahr al-Bared that lies near the northern coastal city of Tripoli.
Several of them have escaped from Roumieh in daring prison breaks.
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