Two collaborators sentenced to death

A military court condemned two “Israeli”-allied militiamen to death in absentia on Thursday for killing resistance fighters.
It was the severest sentence handed down by the court since the trials of collaborators began in June.
Salim Salameh and Mohammed Gharmati were convicted of entering “Israel”, joining “the “Israeli” enemy army,” and killing an undetermined number of guerrillas fighting the “Israeli” occupation forces in south Lebanon, the court said in a judgment posted on its bulletin board on Thursday.
The whereabouts of Salameh and Gharmati are not known, but many of the agents fled to “Israel” during the withdrawal of “Israeli” troops in May.
Before the withdrawal, the court had condemned the militia commander, Antoine Lahd, to death in absentia on treason charges. Lahd is believed to be in France.
The court also sentenced 46 other people on Thursday, mostly former militiamen, to prison terms ranging from three weeks to 15 years after convicting them of visiting “Israel” or collaborating with it.
Five of the 46 were sentenced in absentia to prison terms of five to 15 years and fined LL2 million each for collaborating with “Israel”, the judgment said.
The 41 other defendants, who were in court when the sentences were handed down at dawn on Thursday, received terms ranging from nine months to three years and fines of up to LL1 million each.
The court acquitted or dropped charges against 13 other defendants for lack of evidence.

The Daily Star, 17-11-2000.