Daily star, By Hani M. Bathish 
 BEIRUT: The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) refused to give any details about its investigation into Sunday’s riots before its conclusion, as the death toll from the clashes rose on Tuesday to nine after Jihad Rashid Munzir died in hospital of injuries sustained in Mar Mikhael. The army refused to confirm the identities or political affiliations of those arrested or whether they were detained for sniping at protesters. Amid the official silence, however, media speculation remained rife concerning the presence of snipers and their political affiliations.

Lebanese Forces (LF) boss Samir Geagea, who met Premier Fouad Siniora Tuesday, denied that LF members were arrested in connection with alleged sniping activities aimed at protesters in Mar Mikhael. "These rumors are false. There were members of the Lebanese Forces as well as people from Ain al-Rummaneh that the army rounded up. Some were carrying guns without a permit, but it has nothing to do with [Sunday’s riots]. No one was sniping," Geagea said following his meeting with Siniora.

Also Tuesday, the LF accused some media outlets and opposition politicians of launching a campaign aimed at "distorting facts" and laying blame for Sunday’s events on the Lebanese Forces. The LF said it has taken steps to file lawsuits against those who take part in this campaign or contribute to it.

The statement said the army rounded up a total of six Ain al-Rummaneh residents, including one Lebanese Customs employee who was in possession of a hand gun, and five other unarmed people. Al-Akhbar daily reported Tuesday that a man identified as Richard A., whom the paper referred to as a Lebanese Forces member, was arrested in possession of an assault rifle fitted with a scope.

A judicial source on Tuesday told The Daily Star that investigators were examining camera footage taken by news crews at the scene to determine where the shots were coming from, as well as footage from security cameras in the area. Investigators are also examining shell casings recovered from the scene and comparing them to bullets recovered from victims to determine where the shots were fired.

The judicial source said 30 people have been officially detained to date in connection with the events last Sunday, but investigations so far could not confirm the presence of snipers.

LAF commander General Michel Suleiman, along with his intelligence chief Brigadier George Khoury, met with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah late Monday night to offer their condolences on those killed in Sunday’s riots.

A Hizbullah statement issued Tuesday said the army commander stressed that "serious and comprehensive investigations into Sunday’s events in Mar Mikhael have begun and that the investigation will be transparent and unambiguous and precisely determine culpability."

The statement said that Nasrallah in turn stressed the need for a rapid, serious and comprehensive investigation away from pressures and politicization.

Nasrallah stressed the need to conduct the investigations and hold those behind the shootings accountable for the crime, "whoever they may be." He added that this was the only way to do justice to the fallen martyrs and the injured, assuage the pain and sorrow of their families and bolster security and stability in the country. Nasrallah said he hoped to see the results of investigations in a very short period of time.

Suleiman is overseeing the army’s investigation into the shootings. Judge Jean Fahd, the government representative at the Military Tribunal, is also conducting a probe into the riots. Fahd met Tuesday with senior judges and officials from the military police to evaluate the progress of investigations to date.

Speaker Nabih Berri, speaking Monday to the An-Nahar daily, said Sunday’s killings had three objectives: to sow Muslim-Christian animosity, to scuttle Suleiman’s chances of being elected president and to dissolve the memorandum of understanding signed by Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Berri said all attempts to sow Muslim-Christian discord will be rejected and will be thwarted, as were attempts at sowing Sunni-Shiite strife.

MP Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc expressed deep regrets on Tuesday over the killing of innocent civilians last Sunday, offering condolences to their families and calling for rapid and transparent investigations into the events and the punishment of those responsible. The bloc also called on authorities to release the full results of investigations to the Lebanese public in order to ensure that such tragedies do not occur again in the future.

The bloc also praised what it called the "restraint" shown by citizens living in the Shiyyah-Mar Mikhael area, which used to be part of the front line during the 1975-90 Civil War, saying that they had "affirmed their commitment and belief in the memorandum of understanding signed between the FPM and Hizbullah."

Amnesty calls for Independent investigation

BEIRUT: Amnesty International welcomed on Tuesday Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s announcement that an investigation would be conducted into Sunday’s killing of at least nine people during protests in Beirut’s southern suburbs, but called for an independent probe.

"Amnesty calls for this investigation to be carried out by an independent and impartial body rather than by the army or other security forces involved in the events. It must be thorough, prompt and impartial as required under international standards," a statement issued by the organization said.

Ahmad Hamza, Ahmad Ali Ajouz, Mahmoud Ali Hayek, Mahmoud Mansour, Mohammad Arslan, Yussef Sheqir, Mustafa Amhaz, Jihad Rashid Munzir died during the protests. The protests were against power cuts affecting the largely Shiite southern suburbs, where support is strong for Amal and Hizbullah, two political parties opposed to the Siniora government.

According to reports, there was gunfire from Lebanese Army soldiers and also from some unidentified individuals. One other man, Ali Hassan Maatouq, was killed in a road accident in related protests in Nabatiyeh, South Lebanon.

"The role of the Lebanese Army in the events, including as a possible source of lethal gunfire, underlines the need for such investigations to be conducted independently, as required under international standards," the statement added.

It said investigations must be made public "and anyone reasonably suspected of involvement in the killings must be held accountable."

Amnesty said when policing demonstrations, security forces should adhere to the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials that calls upon officials to employ nonviolent means and to use lethal force only when "strictly unavoidable in order to protect life" and then only in proportion to the danger presented.

"Demonstrators must have the rights to the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly ensured, but the demonstrators and the authorities should ensure that the demonstrations do not escalate into violence leading to human rights abuses," it said. – The Daily Star