The family of Tarek RABAA demands his release and criticizes those who publicize distorted news about his trial

The family of Tarek RABAA demands his release and criticizes those who publicize distorted news about his trial, a photo by sherihane on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The family of the engineer Tarek RABAA replied in a statement dated April 15, 2013 on the distorted news published in some newspapers regarding what happened during the trial session Tarek attended in the military court on April 12, 2013.
The family said "some paid and ignorant journalists are publicizing distorted reports about the trial sessions of Tarek RABAA. These reports match the policy of pre-sentencing Tarek and do not reflect what is really happening inside the military court". The family explained the reality of the accusation which was followed by an organized defamation campaign to target the engineer Tarek RABAA and implicitly the district of Tarik Al Jadidah's.
The family said "the decision to delay or to accelerate the trial's sessions is taken by the head of the military court Khalil IBRAHIM who is trying to throw the responsibility for a one year delay in the trial on the lawyer Nada RABAA. Tarek is known by his calm personality and it is not only in the trial session dated April 12, 2013 he manifested his calmness. Also, what Tarek had said in the last trial session regarding the duration of his detention of 3 years and 8 months is precise by considering the year of imprisonment in Lebanon 9 months, yet Tarek is detained since July 12, 2010 based on a falsified accusation of collaborating with the Israelian intelligence without any evidence and without a confession. Tarek doesn't deal with politics and he is not affiliated to Almustaqbal movement".

The statement added "The military court had rejected the defense plea which proves the arbitrary detention, the flagrant violations of the Lebanese law and they decided to try Tarek in public starting from February 7, 2013. The military court has already released many defendants who are accused to collaborate with the Mossad, but when the turn comes to Tarek, the military court takes as pretext either the type of accusation or the manifestations Tarek's family had organized, and recently the court is taking Tarek's lawyer as a pretext.

Finally, the RABAA's family has asked a question "Is the law applied in the military court in Lebanon headed by the general Khalil IBRAHIM different than the law applied by the head of military court of cassation Alice SHOBTINI?. The family has also demanded answers regarding the criteria the military court is applying to release dozens of collaborators with the Mossad who confessed in the court whereas it doesn't release the oppressed engineer Tarek RABAA. The family ended the statement by demanding the Lebanese authorities to investigate the torture as well as the arbitrary detention and to promptly release Tarek without delay.

The trial session of Tarek RABAA adjourned and the court flagrantly refused to summon a witness

The trial session of Tarek RABAA adjourned and the court flagrantly refused to summon a witness, a photo by sherihane on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
On April 12, 2013 Tarek RABAA attended the trial session dedicated to hear three witnesses from Alfa: Pierre Abi Nader, Jihad El Murr and Cesar Saleh. The lawyer Marwan DAHER presented his proxy on behalf of the lawyer Nada RABAA and he demanded a time slot to study the case. As a result, the head of the court the general Khalil Ibrahim decided to adjourn the trial session to May 17, 2013.

During this trial session, Tarek Rabaa had argued with the head of the court regarding his detention and the wrongly summoned witness Jihad Al Hajj instead of Jihad El Murr. Then, based on considering 9 months the year of imprisonment in Lebanon, Tarek told the court: "I am in jail since 3 years and 8 months, release me and continue the trial while i am outside the jail. I didn't see my father since then and you already released the wife of Adib al Alam who is accused for collaborating with the Mossad also". The head of the court answered: "let your father come to the court to see you". Therefore, Tarek commented: "my father has 80 years old and he is sick".

From another side, the court had summoned the witness Jihal Al Hajj instead of the witness Jihad El Murr. Cesar Saleh attended the session while Pierre Abi Nader didn't come for the fifth time. Tarek demanded to summon Jihal El Murr, Felix Wass (ex CTO at Alfa) and he insisted to summon the consultant of the minister of telecoms Gilbert Najjar who is responsible for the cellular networks in Lebanon. The head of the court refused to summon Gilbert Najjar and he accepted to summon Felix Wass in addition to Jihad El Murr, Cesar Saleh and Pierre Abi Nader.

Tarek told the court at the end of the session "Release me, I am innocent and oppressed. You have already a formal document which proves that the French number the military intelligence suspected is for a French taxi company and it is not used by the Mossad".