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The Becharrie Association of
NSW
Mr Joe Arida
On behalf of Becharrie
Association of NSW, President Mr. Elie Fakhry and the Executive
Committee Members, it gives me a great pleasure and honor to welcome
you all and thank you so very sincerely for your attendance to this
very special event – calling for the immediate unconditional and
overdue release of our beloved son of Becharrie – Dr. Samir Geagea,
Head of the Lebanon Forces.
Dear Friends,
A lot has been said and
more has been written about Dr. Samir Geagea – The Commander in Chief
– The Leader – The Politician – The Family Man.
But tonight, Ladies and
Gentlemen, let’s focus on the other side of this man:
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Samir
Geagea – the Human Being
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Samir
Geagea – the Man
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Samir
Geagea – the Prisoner
Distinguished guests, one
and all...
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Dr.
Geagea is a prisoner of conscience who stood tall in the face of his
oppressors
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He
refused to let them break his spirit and believes despite the extreme
measures they took against him
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His
crime = is his loyalty to Lebanon
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His
crime = He kept faith and held on to his dream to see an independent
sovereign and free Lebanon.
Indeed Dr. Geagea refused
to compromise his principals and reject all allegations revealed
against him.
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When
offered to leave = he stood his grounds
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When
attempts were made to bribe him with official positions = he refused
and turned them all down
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When
arrested = he believed that the judicial system would uphold the
contribution and that his rights would be protected
Friends….
Most of us wondered what
life is like for Samir Geagea. Indeed words – sentences - can do no
justice to describe the trauma – the injustice – the pain Dr. Geagea
has gone through and is going through.
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For the
better part of 10 years Dr. Geagea has been in solidarity confinement.
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He was
held in a prison cell measuring only 6 m2 and located 3 stories under
ground in the Lebanese Ministry of Defense.
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The cell
is poorly ventilated and deprived of natural sunlight.
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He
sleeps on a humble flat bed and has no space to store his belongings.
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He is
not allowed to talk to the guards. In reality, except his lawyers and
family, no one can talk to him.
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His
visitors are under strict supervision and are monitored
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He is
prohibited from discussing and political issues with his visitors, nor
allowed to read the papers, listen to the radio or watch tv.
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He is
not allowed to converse with his wife with a language other than
Arabic.
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He is
denied any connections with the outside world.
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When his
lawyers drafted a proposed amnesty law, prison officials refused to
allow him to discuss or review the proposal for submission.
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Dr.
Geagea said, “I would like to be living in another Galaxy… my captor’s
want me to forget my name, but I will not allow that to happen”.
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Maronite
Patriarch Sfeir said on the 8th anniversary of Geagea
incarceration:
The detention imposed on
Samir Geagea had denied him the right to think… Human rights dictate
that prisoners should be allowed to feel alive, and should not be
forbidden to think, to read and follow upon what is happening in their
own country
….. Nelson
Mandela was able to complete a doctorate in law while in prison,
whilst Samir Geagea is stripped of all his basic human rights…
My Friends, one and
all…..Dr. Geagea fits perfectly the definition of political prisoner.
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In
December 2002 Dr. Geagea said: “I have been kidnapped and not legally
imprisoned – prisoners have rights – I have none”.
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“A
prisoner has the right to discuss the evidence and legal matters with
his lawyers – I can’t”.
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“A
prisoner cans end and receive mail – I can’t”.
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“A
prisoner cannot be totally isolated from his society – I am”.
Mr. Edmond Rizk read the
following statement in a press conference:
Dr. Geagea’ situation is
a violation of Lebanese Constitution. He has been suffering physical
and moral punishment. His situation contravenes all principals of
punishment and the respects of criminal law and ethical treatment of
prisoners in addition to their recognized rights, especially to be
treated with dignity and fairness. It should be noted that there is no
civilized country in the world that would keep a prisoner in solitary
confinement for more than 15 days, or for 45 days in extreme cases.
…What about Samir
Geagea?...
Mr. Steve Stanton –
Australian Barrister – President of Cedarwatch wrote in April 2000 a
paper titled ‘Shine like Lights’, and I quote;
“Dr. Geagea’ trial has
been marked by gross breaches of the rule of law, both the rule
against bias and natural justice which are a hallmark, or one would
have thought, were a hallmark of the Lebanese judicial system”.
Mr. Stanton, who
volunteered to defend Dr. Geagea, wrote several legal papers detailing
the unfairness of the trials. Consequently, Mr. Stanton was ousted
from the country and later was denied Visa despite that he is of
Lebanese descent.
French Lawyer Wallerand
De Saint-Just was commissioned to Geagea’ defense. He said: “For Samir
Geagea to ask me to defend him was on exceptional grace and a great
honor for me. If we were able to appeal the verdict of the court in
Lebanon, I would have without doubt succeeded in quashing. Even the
judicial council should have had refused to proceed with the trial on
the basis of how it was conducted. The violations were numerous and
grave to a degree where the investigation should have been completely
negated”.
Mr. De Saint-Just went on
saying: “In simple terms, the trials of Dr. Samir Geagea remain the
Lebanese Institutions everlasting disgrace”.
Finally, Dear Friends…
Once more, we welcome you
all…we thank you for your attendance…and we ask you to please show
your true solidarity with Dr. Samir Geagea by signing the petition
asking for his immediate and unconditional release from jail.
Samir Geagea must be
free!
Thank you and God Bless
you! |
