Lebanese Woman Convicted of Torture

“ A military court Tuesday convicted and sentenced a woman to seven years in jail and hard labor for torturing two inmates at a notorious prison run by former “Israeli”-allied militiamen in southern Lebanon.

Georgette Jirjis al-Tawili was one of 18 former pro-”Israeli” militiamen who were sentenced by the court to prison terms of up to three years for collaborating with “Israel” during its occupation of southern Lebanon, the court said in a judgment posted on its bulletin board.

The court acquitted four other defendants of collaboration charges.

The defendants were all members of the “Israeli”-backed militia that collapsed as “Israel” withdrew its troops from south Lebanon on May 24, ending 22 years of occupation.

The prison in the southern Lebanese village of Khiam where Tawili worked gained notoriety for torture and for long detentions of opponents of “Israel’s” occupation. Human rights groups had long denounced conditions at Khiam.

Tawili was also barred from returning to her hometown in south Lebanon for 10 years after completion of her sentence, the court added. Such prohibitions are intended to protect the convicts from possible revenge attacks by anti-”Israeli” guerrillas.

The 18 defendants were also fined up to $666, the court statement said. They were the 27th batch of alleged collaborators to appear before the court since the “Israeli” withdrawal.

Lebanon, which is technically at war with “Israel”, prohibits any contacts with the Jewish state.

Some 2,200 members of the militia, which once numbered 2,500 fighters, surrendered to Lebanese authorities or were captured after “Israel” withdrew. The rest, mostly ranking militia officers, fled to “Israel” with their families.

The military court, whose verdicts cannot be appealed, has sentenced more than 1,000 people to jail terms of up to 15 years since the trials of collaborators began on June 5.

Associated Press, 12-9-2000.