Court frees officers in Akkar sheikh’s killing

The Military Court of Cassation released on bail Friday three Lebanese Army officers who were detained over the killing of a Muslim sheikh and his companion in May. The move drew criticism from Future Movement MPs in the north. Judicial sources told The Daily Star that Judge Elias Nayfeh ordered the release of the three officers on LL300,000 bail each. The sources identified the freed officers as Capt. Elie Kairouz, Capt. Mohammad Ali Ahmad and Lt. Wissam Mahfouz. They were arrested following an incident on May 20, during which Sheikh Ahmad Abdel-Wahed, a Muslim preacher opposed to the Syrian regime, and his companion Hussein al-Mereb were shot dead at a Lebanese Army checkpoint in the village of Kuwaikhat in Akkar, north Lebanon. The officers were released early in July on bail but were re-arrested on July 16. Their arrests at the time sparked street protests by Army supporters, who demanded their release. Future Movement MPs in the north and Akkar sheikhs have demanded that the Army officers linked to the killing be tried. They have also demanded that the case be referred to the Judicial Council, the country’s highest judicial body, which looks into security cases that threaten to destabilize the country. Shortly after the decision went public a meeting was held in the Akkar village of Bireh between Akkar MP Khaled Daher, the relatives of the two killed Sheikhs and local leaders. Attendees spoke by phone with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and March 14 official Fares Soueid. “Following these phone calls, a decision was made to hold a meeting Saturday at the March 14 general secretariat to decide on steps to be taken,” Daher said. He added that the decision had caused anger in not only the village of Bireh but the entire Akkar region. “This was an ill-conceived and suspicious move, and it appears that its aim was to cause tension in the country prior to the pope’s visit to Lebanon, as if they want to sabotage the visit,” he said. “We accuse the supporters of the Syrian regime in Lebanon of seeking to sabotage the pope’s visit through this decision.” He added that March 14 would call for an immediate rescission of the decision during Saturday’s meeting. In a statement Friday Tripoli MP Mohammad Kabbara said releasing the three men “is an insult to the family of the two great martyrs, an insult to their area and an insult to their sect. Why this stupidity, or is it a conspiracy? The bail to release those accused of killing two sheikhs is now [only] LL300,000. How can this be logical?” He compared the figure to the recent bail of a man accused of setting Al-Jadeed television station on fire, which was set at LL2 million. He said the government failed to address the Syrian regime’s violation of Lebanese airspace, while the Army issued daily statements regarding Israeli violations. “Why is there an uproar when the Israeli navy kidnaps a southern fisherman, but when Assad’s navy kidnaps a northern fisherman nobody reacts,” Kabbara questioned. “Why doesn’t Hezbollah allow our government to defend our people like it defends his?” Three fishermen were kidnapped by the Syrian navy in January off the coast of north Lebanon, leading to the death of one after naval officers opened fire. From DailyStar