Judiciary proceeds with interrogations, issues arrest warrants against Abra suspects

 
The First Military Investigation Magistrate Riad Abou Ghida interrogated on Tuesday 6 persons arrested on the backdrop of the Abra incidents, in the presence of their attorneys.            

Following the interrogation session, Judge Abou Ghida issued arrest warrants against them; thus, increasing the number of arrest warrants to 12.                     

Judge Abou Ghida also called on Beirut's Bar Association to appoint attorneys for arrestees who do not have representatives.                     

On another note, Judge Abou Ghida interrogated one officer and three soldiers involved in the Abra clashes and issued arrest warrants against them on charges of disobeying military orders, misusing power and unintentionally causing death.                         

On the 5th of July, Judge Abou Ghida received the case of the detained suspects, a day after State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged 27 people, 10 of whom in absentia.                     

Fighting in Sidon city began Sunday (23 June) after troops arrested a follower of hardline Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir.                 

The army says the cleric's supporters opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint.                     

Official reports said at least 17 soldiers were killed and 50 were wounded in the fighting while more than 20 of al-Assir's supporters died in the battle, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to reporters.                 

Al-Assir is a virulent critic of the powerful Shiite group Hezbollah group, which along with its allies dominates Lebanon's government.          

He supports rebels fighting to oust Syria's President Bashar Assad.