Freed detainees warn of rough justice if state is too lax on collaborators
As the world remembers torture victims, former prisoners of “Israel” reveal that their ordeal did not end with their release

“Former detainees in “Israeli” prisons threatened on Monday to take the law into their own hands if the government failed to appropriately punish “Israeli”-allied militiamen who were now on trial.

The former prisoners, most of whom had been held in the notorious Khiam detention center, also urged the government to provide them with financial assistance to rebuild their lives.
They were speaking at a press conference organized by the Follow-Up Committee for the Support of Detainees in “Israeli” Prisons to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
“The collaborators should be put in jail for a very long time. They deserve all they get,” said 18-year-old Ahmad Samhan, who was detained with both his parents. “If I happen to see any of them in the street, I won’t be able to ignore them,” he added.
Afif Hammoud, who was imprisoned for 10 years, said that the so-called “cell collaborators” should be handed the harshest sentences.
“These are the worst kind of intelligence members. They are the trusted brothers and friends who would stab you in the back, and those are the kinds of traitors who can never be forgiven,” he said.
Hammoud explained that “cell collaborators” were SLA members who entered the cells as prisoners and established friendly relations with other detainees, cultivating their trust  until they shared confidences.
“These traitors are still free, the government has their names and they know where they are, and if they don’t, we can help them,” Hammoud said, adding that it was very difficult for him to see these people walking free.
“Today, the (Maronite) Patriarch is pleading for sympathy toward the collaborators. I want to ask him, who asked for sympathy for us when they were torturing us?” said Khalil Qarnib, who was detained with his brother and father. ““Israelis” never laid a hand on us; we never saw them. Those who tortured, killed and threatened us and our daughters, wives and mothers are Lebanese people and they deserve to be punished,” he said.
Gandhi Ayoub, another former prisoner, warned that the government would face a lot of problems if it ignored the issue now.
“We heard that some collaborators have been spared because they have political connections, but we want all these connections to be removed.
“We’re counting on this, otherwise the government will have to re-imprison its heroes, who will try to take their revenge with their own hands,” Ayoub said.
Hanna Nasrallah was detained in 1998, just eight days after his wedding. He was even ordered to drive his own car to Khiam detention center.
He said that since his release in 1990 he had not received any assistance from the government, despite a back problem caused by beatings he suffered in prison, which prevents him from working long hours.
Nasrallah explained that since being released, he had not been allowed to go to Beirut, and therefore could not ask for any compensation.
“They tell me that I came too late. What can I do now? I have three children to feed,” he said.
Fadi, son of Abdullah Hamzeh who was tortured to death in Khiam in 1986 after revolting against the prison’s administration, said that his father’s compensation had been suspended for no apparent reason.
“Before he died, my father was employed by the Education Ministry for 18 years. He was a teacher in Jmaijmeh’s public school and two years ago his compensation salary was suspended for no reason,” he said.
Hamzeh also pleaded for help to locate his father’s remains.
Detainees still held in “Israeli” prisons were also remembered.
Anwar Yassine’s mother moved the entire audience as she pleaded with all the “powerful people” to help make her voice heard by the international community. “Remember some mothers are still waiting for their sons to come back home,” she said.
Najib Freiji, chief of the UN’s Information Services in Beirut, considered it shameful to have to commemorate such inhumane practices in the 21st century.
“It’s also a pity that torture is costing humankind so much in human and economic resources,” he said. Freiji said a UN study revealed that torture was still practiced in 80 countries, approximately one-third of member countries.

The Daily Star, 27-6-2000.