Adonis Diaries

Militia warlords may face international trial: As easy as ABC

Two easy legal venues are available to bring to trial the Lebanese militia warlords of the civil war who committed crimes against humanity after 1986, particularly the common tactic of “genocidal ethnic and religious cleansing” and transfer of citizens…

First, any eye-witness to a case of torture can bring a warlord to trial. The legal case is easy to submit to the International Court Tribunal and can prevent this warlord leader from traveling overseas and be apprehended in airports. Dozen of these cases have been successful: Palestinian lawyers have lodged complaints and scores of Israeli military officers are already apprehended as war criminals.

For example, the main reason Israel Netanyahu PM agreed to obey the ruling of Israel High Court for vacating a settlement in Beit Eel was that Israel and the political officials will inevitably have to deal with the International Court Tribunal in La Hay.

The warlord leaders will also discover that all their assets overseas (liquid money and properties) can be ceased…

Second, the political parties of these warlords, organizations, movements…that contributed and participated in the crimes against humanity can be investigated by international legal teams on behalf of the World Legal Organization and Amnesty International.  The report of the investigators will pinpoint the responsibilities of the leading personalities in the crimes committed.

The criminal organizations will be banned to participate in world community conferences…and the major benefit is the opportunity of preserving historical records of the civil war…

Most militia warlords are in power in Lebanon and acting as if they cannot be legally touched. Why?

Because the same warlords issued a general amnesty in 1990. But the international legal cases go beyond what particular a State wants. For example:

Nabih Berri (Chairman of the Parliament) committed genocide against the Palestinians in refugee camps.

Walid Jumblatt publicly admitted of executing all his prisoners and dumping them in deep wells, iniInterviews and in speeches

Samir Geajah (Lebanese Forces) admitted publicly to crimes against humanity…I watched a rerun of an official scene of execution of a guy condemned for being a “spy to the Lebanese army“. The scene was in a forest with hundreds of members and Geajah himself giving the order. The brothers of the victims are still alive and sounding the bell every year.

There are many books by Lebanese of eye-witness accounts and autobiographies for being engaged in this dirty civil war.

Exposing one such warlord will put the pressure on the other political criminals to listen seriously to the demand of the people to step aside and let reforms be contemplated…

There is already an International Court Tribunal for Lebanon since 2007 and related to the assassination of late Rafic Harri PM…and scores of potential criminals are being investigated in that case.

We urge Lebanese who are eye-witness to crimes against humanity (torture, execution of “prisoners”, transfer of citizens…) to come forth. Most probably, those already settled overseas should feel secure enough to taking bold and courageous legal steps to save the Lebanese who are still suffering from indignities and constant humiliation from the still ruling warlord militia leaders…

Many foreign correspondent and journalists covered extensively Lebanon civil war and published eye-witness accounts of the dirty war.

I urge Robert Fisk and a few of his colleagues to be the catalyst in encouraging the Lebanese and start the process of lodging legal cases, strong with the documents they possess…

This June, 27 non-government associations convinced former civil war “fighters” to come forward under the organization of “Our Unity, Our Redemption” and deliver their eye-witness accounts. The first meeting gathered in the Newspaper syndicate in Beirut and the former militias talked to the audience.

The first batch was composed of Mohyeddine Chehab, Asaad Chaftari, Ziad Saab, Haidar 3ammacha, and Rafic Kattan.  Asaad Chaftari already published part of his accounts several years ago.

This is an excellent starting point into gathering a tight legal file for further processes…

Note 1: Post inspired from the article of Mohannad Haj Ali (researcher in London) published in the Lebanese daily Al Nahar

Note 2: https://adonis49.wordpress.com/2008/12/18/political-self-criticism/