Lebanese demand release of officers held in killing

Supporters of the Lebanese Army and families of military officers held in the case of the May killing of a Muslim preacher and his companion staged a sit-in at the Abdeh Square in Akkar Sunday demanding the officers’ release, the state-run National News Agency reported. The protesters carried placards demanding a transparent and fair trial in the case of the killing of the two sheikhs and the release of the arrested military personnel. They also voiced their support for the Army as “the protector of the country and the guarantor of security for all the Lebanese,” the NNA said. The sit-in came a day after three Lebanese Army officers, who were released earlier in the month on bail in the case of the killing of Sheikhs Ahmad Abdel-Wahed and Hussein al-Mereb, were detained once again. Military Judge Riad Abu Ghida took the decision after further questioning of the three officers, judicial sources said. The three officers as well as eight other soldiers were released on bail July 5 in the case of the two sheikhs who were shot dead at an army checkpoint in Akkar, north Lebanon, on May 20. Five other soldiers remain in custody. Abdel-Wahed was an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The release of the officers led to road blocks by residents of Akkar. Akkar figures and politicians have also voiced anger over the handling of the investigation and insist that it be referred to the county’s judicial highest authority, threatening to take action should the case remain in the hands of the Military Tribunal. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri praised the Military Tribunal’s decision to again arrest the three officers, saying the move improved confidence in the Army and justice in the country. “Justice and the Army are two main institutions to build the state and they should always win the confidence of the Lebanese.”