The Sovereigntist Front for Lebanon denounces the course of action of an “Iranian system”
At the end of an extraordinary meeting last weekend held at the headquarters of the National Liberal Party, in Sodeco, the Sovereigntist Front published a press statement stressing that the latest proceedings against the leader of the Lebanese Forces are nothing more than public manipulations orchestrated by an Iranian securitarian lobby, which is reminiscent of the practices of the Lebanese-Syrian security apparatus at the time of the Syrian occupation.
By Amine Jules Iskandar for Ici Beyrouth – In its extraordinary meeting, the Sovereigntist Front for Lebanon discussed “the excesses perpetrated by the Iranian security regime and its total hegemony over the judicial system”. Last Friday’s indictment, filed by the deputy military prosecutor, Fadi Akiki, against the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, hence came as a shock.
While justice is obstructed everywhere, ranging from the case of the Beirut port explosion to the arbitrary and appalling arrests of several young people from Aïn Remmené, “the security regime of the Iranian militia of Hezbollah and its collaborators within the government, allow themselves the luxury of initiating a new extortion, or rather judicial acrobatics, against the camp of sovereigntist parties”, one of the officials of the Sovereigntist Front pointed out bluntly.
The Front, which includes the Lebanese Forces party, “could not remain silent in the face of such politico-judicial extortions and manipulations of the security system”, declared the official. Especially since the content of the complaint against Mr. Samir Geagea was based on the words of a “witness” who claims to be a member of the National Liberal Party. Now it just so happens that the Central Office of this party in Sodeco also serves as the headquarters of the Sovereigntist Front. The latter is therefore highly concerned about the new case against the person of Mr. Samir Geagea.
A securitarian regime
The extraordinary meeting that the Front held at Sodeco was opened by lawyer Elie Mahfoud, leader of the Change Movement. He emphasized the serious implications of such a legal blunder. He explained that the reason for the outrage of the members of the Front is independent of the person of Dr Samir Geagea since such a slip could potentially extend to any Sovereigntist, whoever it is. It should not be forgotten that the slander had already intensified only recently, i.e., a few days before, in response to the visit of the Maronite Patriarch, Mgr. Béchara Boutros Rai, to Egypt.
It is the Syrian securitarian system all over again. It is trying to reinstall itself in an Iranian version “with the help of collaborators within the current regime”. Lawyer Elie Mahfoud further indicated that the lawyers of the Front intend to ask the prosecutor Ghada Aoun what happened to the dossier of the complaint filed against Hassan Nasrallah. While anticipating a deterioration of the situation in the coming weeks, Elie Mahfoud announced the formation of a task force whose mission will be to follow the files related to the events in Aïn Remmené.
The press statement
At the end of the meeting, the Sovereigntist Front issued a statement read by NLP Secretary General Camille Joseph Chamoun. After announcing the Front’s “surprise” of the complaint lodged by the assistant prosecutor at the military court against Samir Geagea in the case of the Aïn Remmené attack, the Front focused on the playing of the media in preparation of the complaint.
“This complaint, underlines the press statement, was preceded by a media campaign, fabricated testimonies and articles in yellow newspapers (of Hezbollah) which clearly confirm the existence of a Lebanese-Iranian securitarian regime which targets the free people in Lebanon by fabricating false files and publicly spewing accusations. These same newspapers, the press statement recalls, are also the ones which defamed the Maronite Patriarch, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Raï, and who have launched a slander campaign bringing about the collapse of all the institutions of the state and of the private sector”.
Orchestrated attacks by the Iranians
For the Sovereigntist Front it is clear that, “these all-out attacks against the Sovereigntists are orchestrated by the Iranians with the cover of collaborators in the presidential palace”. And the Front acknowledges that “the current situation in 2022 cannot be fully compared to that of 1994”. Therefore, it appeals to “the judicial authority represented by the Superior Council of the Judiciary to put an end to the irregularities committed by the judges affiliated with the regime, in order to safeguard what remains of the authority of the judiciary” .
The Front also wonders in this regard how it can be that in the case of Aïn Remmené, “the aggressor can become the victim, and the victim the executioner”.
The Sovereigntist Front explicitly accuses the military court of having become “a tool in the hands of Hezbollah, which has built a securitarian media and judicial system at the heart of the state, with a network of agents in all administrative levels and institutions”. The press statement indicates that “the modus operandi consists of the initial publication of articles which turn into investigations by the security agencies and then into legal complaints”. “This Lebanese-Iranian security system,” adds the press statement, “is reminiscent of the Lebanese-Syrian model, and is a real threat to freedoms in Lebanon”.
In conclusion, the statement did not fail to condemn, once again, the arbitrary detention of the assaulted residents of Aïn Remmené, knowing that “not a single one of the armed aggressors, whose photos have appeared by the hundreds on social networks, has been the subject of any investigation”. The Sovereigntist Front reminded “the Lebanese public opinion, the Superior Council of the Judiciary and the magistrates” that it filed a criminal complaint against the Secretary General of Hezbollah, which however ended up in the prosecutor’s drawer of oblivion at the Court of Appeal of Mount Lebanon.
An agonizing regime
The president of the National Liberal Party, Camille Dory Chamoun, addressed the attendees and press after the reading of the press statement, in which he denounced such misuse of the Lebanese securitarian system which in no way improves the situation in the country. On the contrary, it has all the signs of a headlong flight forward. “This contempt for all the values of justice, law and freedoms shows us that the actual regime is collapsing,” Chamoun said.
Peter Germanos: a procedural defect
The technical aspects of the filed complaint were presented by former attorney general at the military court, Judge Peter Germanos. According to his clarification, once the deputy prosecutor at the military prosecutor’s office, in this case Fadi Akiki, has submitted the file of a case to a military investigating judge, the latter becomes objectively the sole owner of the file. The prosecution no longer has the prerogatives that allow it to intervene by adding a new complaint. Only the investigating judge has the right to do so.
The complaint filed by deputy prosecutor Fadi Akiki against Samir Geagea, is therefore a procedural defect. It should also be noted that the office of attorney general at the military court has been vacant since the resignation of judge Peter Germanos in 2020 following a conflict which had put him opposite the Hariri-Bassil tandem.
The Sovereigntist Front was formed on September 29, 2021. It brings together some 20 sovereigntist organizations from civil society, distinguished personalities, and political parties such as the Lebanese Forces, the National Liberal Party, the Universal Syriac Union Party and the Guardians of the Cedars. The purpose of this Front is to openly denounce the disruptive role and stranglehold of Hezbollah on Lebanon, its state, and institutions, and to expose its role as the armed wing of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Dr Amine Jules Iskandar is an architect and the former president of the Syriac Maronite Union – Tur Levnon. Amine Jules Iskandar has written several articles on the Syriac Maronites, their language, culture, and history. You can follow him @Amineiskandar2
This article was originally published by Ici Beyrouth on March 27, 2022. The original can be found here. For the article in Spanish see Maronitas.org.