Asir Trial Postponed to January 5

The trial of detained Salafist cleric Ahmed al-Asir was postponed on Tuesday to 2016.

The new session, held at the Military Tribunal, will be held on January 5, 2016.

His defense lawyer Antoine Naameh presented formal objections before the court, saying that his client needs permission from Dar al-Fatwa to stand before preliminary investigations due to his position as a cleric.

The defense also criticized the publication of the details of interrogation with the detainee, saying it affects the judiciary's transparency, reported LBCI television.

Furthermore, the court approved the formation of a medical committee to monitor Asir's health, who suffers from diabetes, and later submit a report on his condition.

Asir was arrested at Rafik Hariri International Airport in August as he attempted to travel from Lebanon to Nigeria via Cairo using a fake Palestinian passport.

Asir, a firebrand anti-Hizbullah cleric, has been on the run since June 2013 after his armed supporters clashed with the Lebanese army in the southern port city of Sidon, leaving 18 soldiers dead.

The army seized his headquarters after 48 hours of clashes, but Asir was able to escape with several of his followers.

He continued to issue audio statements while on the run, and various rumors circulated as to where in Lebanon he was hiding.

In 2014, a military judge recommended prosecutors seek death sentences for Asir and 53 others.

He and his associates were accused of "having formed armed groups that attacked an institution of the state, the army, killed officers and soldiers, took explosive materials and light and heavy weapons and used them against the army."

M.T.

D.A.