Lebanon's Military Court acquitted Amer Fakhoury of all charges including arresting and torturing Lebanese citizens in the Khiam prison that Israel established during its occupation of southern Lebanon between 1985 and 2000.
Fakhoury, who arrived 6 months ago from the US, was ordered released on Monday because more than 10 years had passed since he allegedly committed the crimes, the National News Agency reported.
He has failed to attend questioning sessions in Lebanon over the past few months, after being severely ill.
The decision to acquit Fakhoury sparked surprise in Lebanon, especially as it anticipated a trial session that the military court had scheduled on April 16, and raised questions about the reason behind the issuance of the ruling before the public trial.
Well-informed sources said that the decision came due to “tremendous pressure exerted by the United States on the Lebanese authorities to release Fakhoury, who holds an American passport, and the intensive contacts conducted by the US Ambassador in Beirut with Lebanese officials in this regard.”
The sources linked between “accelerating the ruling and trying to deport Fakhoury within hours to the United States, before the closure of Rafik Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, in implementation of the precautionary measures taken to reduce the risks of the Corona pandemic.”
Fakhoury is also being prosecuted before the Beirut Investigative Judge Bilal Halawi, in a lawsuit filed by a number of former detainees in Khiam prison, with the crime of arrest and torture. However, this issue does not constitute an obstacle to Fakhoury’s travel, as a Lebanese judicial source explained to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Halawi did not question Fakhoury yet, nor has he issued an arrest warrant against him, due to his health condition, the sources noted.
“Fakhoury has become free, and nothing stops him from travelling, as long as no judicial decision has been issued, preventing him from leaving Lebanon and withholding his passport,” they added.
