After months of negotiations, two bills relating to the military tribunal, one drafted by the parliamentary bloc of the Strong Republic (Lebanese Forces), the other by the Democratic Gathering bloc (Progressive Socialist Party), have been combined in a single text.
The aim of both texts is to restore the “original” jurisdiction of the military court (a court of exception) and put an end to the abuses it commits. The parliamentary sub-committee for Administration and Justice, charged with studying the two texts, completed its work on Tuesday.
This was announced by one of its members, MP Bilal Abdallah, during a press conference on Tuesday at the end of the last meeting of the sub-committee, which is chaired by Georges Okais (Lebanese Forces MP) in the presence of MPs Abdallah (Democratic Gathering) and Imad al-Hout (Jama’a Islamiya).
Okais said that the unified formula was drawn up by MPs Abdallah, Achraf Beydoun and Georges Atallah. He then listed the abuses that the proposed text is meant to stop once it is adopted by the parliamentary Administration and Justice Committee and then by Parliament.
“Everyone knows that the jurisdiction of the military tribunal expanded in the recent past, extending to crimes that were not initially within its scope. It has sometimes been used as a tool of intimidation,” he stressed.
“Today, we want to re-establish the limits (of action) of this tribunal, which must commit itself exclusively to judging military personnel for the military crimes they have committed,” Okais added.
Among the major reforms proposed are two essential points. First, “Under no circumstances should civilians be tried before a military tribunal, regardless of the crime committed, and second, military personnel should not be tried for the civilian crimes they commit” before this exceptional tribunal.
The parliamentarian also hoped that this major reform of the judicial system would find a positive echo “within the parliamentary commission for Administration and Justice, and then before the National Assembly.” He expressed his fervent hope that “all parliamentary blocs will agree on this bill, and that there will be no political factors affecting the vote by the different parties.”
Okais also hoped that 2024 would see the current Parliament adopt the reform laws “on the independence of the judiciary and on the military tribunal.” In conclusion, he expressed his satisfaction that the committee had been able to complete its examination of “a very important issue that protects public freedoms in this country and safeguards human rights,” noting that this is what “sets Lebanon apart.”
