Beirut court tries 24 more collaborators with "Israel"

" Twenty-four Lebanese appeared before the Beirut military court Wednesday for trial on charges of collaborating with "Israel", court sources here said.

The verdicts were due to be announced the same evening, they added.

The trials of another 44 were postponed to enable the accused to find a lawyer, or for their cases to be examined in greater detail.

The accused face charges of having joined ""Israel's" proxy, of "making contact with the "Israeli" enemy" or entering "Israel".

Three of them are also accused of having "passed on information to the enemy," court sources said.

The accused are among 1,700 people who handed themselves over to the authorities after "Israel" withdrew its forces on May 24 after 22 years of occupation of southern Lebanon.

The military court is holding group trials three times a week.

They started Monday, when the court imposed jail sentences of up to five years on 100 detainees. Most received lesser terms of between 12 and 18 months.

Four minors who had been recruited by the militia were referred to a juvenile court.

AFP, 7-6-2000.