A Lebanese military court has convicted a security official of a former Israeliallied militia of collaboration with the Jewish state and sentenced him in absentia to life imprisonment.
Alameddin Faris Badwi, whose whereabouts were not known, was convicted of serving as a security official of the nowdefunct South Lebanon Army militia in the town of Hasbaya in the former Israelioccupied border zone in southern Lebanon. He was also fined 10 million Lebanese pounds (US$6,666).
In the sentences and verdicts posted on a bulletin board, the court also convicted 21 people of collaboration and contact with Israel during its occupation of the south Lebanon border strip and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from three weeks to two years.
Most of the defendants were also fined 400,000 pounds (US$266), according to the court statement.
The court, whose verdicts cannot be appealed, sentenced 15 defendants to prison terms ranging from six months to two years for serving with the SLA and collaborating with Israel. Six men received jail terms ranging from three weeks to two months and were fined one million pounds (US$666) each for entering Israel.
Lebanon is technically at war with Israel and bans any dealings or contacts with the Jewish state.
The SLA helped Israel police its occupation zone in southern Lebanon. The militia collapsed after Israeli forces withdrew from south Lebanon last May, ending an 18year occupation.
About 2,400 people have since June been sentenced by the military court to jail terms of up to 25 years. Hundreds more are awaiting trial. About 30 former SLA militiamen have been sentenced to death in absentia for killing Lebanese guerrillas who fought Israeli forces in south Lebanon.
Some 2,200 members of the SLA, which once numbered 2,500 fighters, have surrendered to Lebanese authorities or have been captured since Israels withdrawal. The rest, mostly ranking officers, fled with their families to Israel or other countries.
The
Daily Star, 13-4-2001.