| On
the 5th anniversary of the arrest
of Dr. Samir Geagea, the leader of the
Lebanese Forces Party (LFP), France chapter
held a conference in Jean Dam Hall on April
18, 1999.
The event
hosted representatives from Human Rights
Organizations, such as Amnesty International
and various Political and Media Representative
along with Supporters of the LFP.
The
invitation that was issued is the following:
Invitation
Mr. Pierre
Bou Assi, the Public Relations representative
in the LFP, France chapter, opened the
conference with the following:
Pierre’s
Opening Statement
He,
then, introduced Elie Abdelhay, the Human
Rights Representative in the LFP, France
chapter. Mr. Abdelhay commented on a 15
minutes film that was prepared by the Media
department in the LFP, which listed events in
a chronological order. It started with a
background on the war in Lebanon and the
forming of the LFP and ended with an exposure
of Human Rights abuses against the LFP
members. It spoke about the arrest of its
leader and explained the systematic arrests
and tortures committed against its members as
a strategy to curb the party and force its
members to flee.
The
Commentary on the film is the following:
Film
Commentary
Here,
the two testimonies given by Fadi
Mehanna and Jihad
Sleiman were introduced. You can
also read about them on our Human Rights Page
under the heading: "Testimonies"
Just
before the film ended, Dr.
Rashid Rahme, the Human Rights
representative in the LFP Political Council
and the head of LFP, London Chapter gave a
speech explaining the uniqueness of Lebanon
and its diverse religious background. He
emphasized that Lebanon could be the prototype
for a common living experience between the
various religions. He then detailed the Human
Rights abuses in Lebanon while listing the
various issues that endanger the Christian
existence in Lebanon. Mr. Abdelhay introduced
him saying:
"Apres
ces images terrifiantes et l’horrible recit
des souffrances je laisse la parole A Docteur
Rachid Rahme, Secretaire General adjoint du
conseil politique des Forces Libanaises,
responsable du departement des droits de
l’homme."
Dr.
Rahme’s lecture
After
Dr. Rahme’s speech, the last few minutes of
the film displayed Dr. Geagea’s last press
conference before his arrest. Mr. Abdelhay
commented:
Abdelhay
statement
Mr.
Abdelhay, then, introduced Maitre de
Saint-Just:
"Nous
allons ecouter maintenant un homme qui n’a
pas hesite de temoigner pour ses convictions.
Maitre Wallerand de Saint-Just est avocat au
Barreau de Paris depuis 1974 et a plaide de
nombreuses affaires de presse et criminelles.
Pris de passion pour le cas de Samir Geagea et
pour le Liban, il est le seul avocat a avoir
eu le droit de plaider dans sa langue devant
la Cour de Justice libanaise.
Maitre
de Saint-Just."Maitre de Saint-Just
explained how Dr. Geagea is a prisoner of
conscience and that he is detained because he
refused to compromise and to deny his country
its independence and his people the freedoms
they deserve. He announced that the trials
that Dr. Geagea are subjected to are
politically motivated to eliminate opposition.
He also declared that he believes in Dr.
Geagea’s innocence and that he is willing to
defend it. Here is his lecture:
De
Saint Just Statement
Mr. Abdelhay
thanked Maitre de Saint-Just and then
intoduced Mr Stephen Stanton, a Sydney
Barrister. He said :
« Nous
vous remercions Maitre de votre sincere
engagement pour la cause des Forces Libanaises
et pour le Liban.
The
president of the Human Rights Organization for
Lebanon Mr. Stephen Stanton, who is an
Australian Barrister has been black listed by
the Lebanese Government and denied any further
entry visa to Lebanon for his role as an
independent observer and campaigner for Human
Rights in Lebanon. Mr. Stephen Stanton."
Mr.
Stanton spoke about his experience
in Lebanon while acting as the defense
attorney for Dr. Geagea and how he was ousted
from Lebanon for speaking against the Judicial
practices in Lebanon. He also spoke about the
recent Australian decision concerning Atef al
Haber, the accused in one of these trials and
how the Australian courts found him innocent.
He said :
Stanton’s lecture
Mr. Abdelhay,
thanked Mr. Stanton and then introduced Elie
Baraghid, the President of the LFP, France
chapter who ended the conference with these
words :
Elie's
statement in
French
At the end of
the conference, the LFP, France chapter
distributed a booklet written in french which
details the events and history of the Lebanese
Forces Party. The attendees also received a
package that included copies of the
testimonies of Jihad
Sleiman, Fadi
Mehanna and Habib Nammour who were
arrested and tortured by the Lebanese
authorities.
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