My name is Mahsa Maleki, and I am the Country
Coordinator for Lebanon at Amnesty International USA.
I am here today to speak to you about the Human Rights
situation in Lebanon, including the cases of Samir
Gea’gea’ and Jirjis al-Khouri. Amnesty International
does not consider Mr. Gea’gea’ and Mr. al-Khouri to be
prisoners of conscience. Soon after their arrest,
however, we began to voice our concern regarding their
situation. The latest expression of that concern is the
report released this past November.
The report documents human
rights violations suffered by Mr. Gea’gea’ and Mr. al-Khouri
since their arrest in 1994, including the lack of access
to a lawyer during their pre-trial detention, their
unfair trial before the justice council, and more than
10 years of solitary confinement at Ministry of Defense
Detention Center (MDDC). We consider their trial to be
in violation of international standards and their
conditions of detention to be cruel, inhuman and
degrading. Amnesty International has called upon the
Lebanese government to release or retry the two
prisoners in front of an ordinary criminal court
according to the international standards of fair trial.
AI has also called for an
investigation of the allegations of torture and
ill-treatment of prisoners at the MDDC.
Amnesty’s November report on Samir Gea’gea’ and Jirjis
al-Khouri reflects the organization’s broader concerns
about torture and unfair trial in Lebanon. We are also
concerned about the situation of Palestinian and other
refugees, the ill-treatment of migrant workers, and the
persecution of human rights defenders. Currently,
however, our priorities are violence against women and
the death penalty. These priorities are set by
Amnesty’s International Secretariat in London and
implemented through national sections, including Amnesty
International USA. Amnesty counts on your support and
the support of other concerned citizens of the world to
remedy these grievances. Thank you!
