The following are summaries of today's major stories published in the
Arabic press. LBCI does not edit press digest articles for content, giving
English-language readers insight into the various views expressed in newspapers
across the Arab world.
An-Nahar Daily mentioned on Thursday that the Security Judicial
Committee in charge of Lebanon’s missing people in Syria will meet at 10 am with
the released Yaacoub Chamoun who spent 27 years in Syrian prisons, to listen the accounts of his experience.
In an interview with
An-Nahar Newspaper, Yaacoub Chamoun
told his story that resembles the tragedy of many other Lebanese detainees. Chamoun said that he was kidnapped in 1985 and
transferred to the State Security Branch. Like any other detainee in the Syrian
dungeons, he suffered all sort sof torture. Then, he was prosecuted in a Syrian
court after being accused of belonging to Lebanese Kataeb Party and “working
for an enemy state”. He was sentenced to hard labor for life.
His journey in the Syrian prisons started in
Mezzeh in 1992, as he was transferred to Tadmor prison and kept there till 2001.
Chamoun told the daily that “words cannot
describe” the circumstances of his imprisonment.
Chamoun also stressed that it is difficult to differentiate
between Lebanese prisoners and other detainees from different nationalities in
Tadmor prison. He also revealed that there is a “pavilion” there, in which around
30 persons are detained. There are Islamists, Kataeb and LF members among the
detainees, as well as prisoners accused of working for Israel.
Chamoun explained that his sufferings left him with deep psychological
scars. He described how he was lead to be brutally tortured with his eyes closed
and how he had to eat a little bit of rice or cracked wheat with lots of ants.
Chamoun said that all of this happened under the watch of the Syrian Military
Police who remains in charge of Tadmor prison.
In 2001, Chamoun was transferred to Saydnaya prison where he
met Kays Mounzir and other Lebanese detainees in cell No. 14. He was kept there
until his release.
The released Wissam Alaeddine who
was accused of burning Al Jadeed TV confirmed on Thursday that he is among
those who anticipated the “malice or ignorant” mistakes the media institutions were committing before these mistakes came into light.
Alaeddine told
Al Akhbar Daily that
he’s convinced that his actions are justified and stressed that he is ready to
do anything if anyone "tries to mock Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah".
For her part, vice director of the
news department in Al Jadeed TV, Karma Khayat, said that the station for now keeps the
case in the hands of the judiciary. “The release is just a detail in
this case”, Khayat stated. She also
added that Al Jadeed TV rejects the protection of some persons by political
figures.
Ministerial sources reported
Thursday to
An-Nahar Daily that foreign diplomats warned Lebanese officials of an impeding attack against Lebanon by Israel. Diplomats said that if Hezbollah shells Israeli
towns and villages, Israel’s response will be “violent” as they will target not
only Hezbollah bases but also Lebanese state’s institutions, headquarters and
infrastructure.
The minister who reported this news
refused to reveal his name. He also added that the special envoys’ main purpose
from visiting Lebanon is not to warn from a probable Israeli attack, but while
meeting with the 3 top officials, each delegate is discussing the necessity to
take the required measures to prevent any Israeli attack against Lebanon.
The minister described these Israeli
threats as “hypothetical”.
Al-Liwaa Newspaper reported on Thursday that according to a trusted
source, a security delegation will head to Ankara today in a serious attempt to
finalize the Lebanese, Syrian and Turkish hostages swap deal. The source said that the delegation might come
back with the 10 Lebanese detainees in Syria or at least with some of them.
In this context, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told
Al-Liwaa Daily that the communication channels with the Turkish security
authorities have remained open since his last visit to Turkey and expects
that good news will soon be heard.
Charbel added that once the detainees case is resolved, all
possible efforts will be exerted to reach reconciliation in Tripoli.