By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: The families of those arrested in the Tayouneh violence that occurred on Oct. 14, along with the families of those arrested in the Khalde incident that took place in early August, are up in arms over what they allege are the “biased actions” of the judicial authorities. The families have in recent days been reacting angrily about the lack of arrests of anyone associated with Hezbollah regarding either incident, “although the party and its gunmen were clearly involved in both.” The families are questioning whether the Lebanese military judiciary is turning a blind eye on those involved in the violence, or if the institution was shaken by the pressure Hezbollah exerts on every aspect of the state. Clashes had erupted in Khalde, south of Beirut, between Hezbollah members and residents affiliated to Arab tribes known as the “Arabs of Khalde,” during the funeral of Hezbollah official Ali Shibli. Two people died and several civilians were injured as a result.
The first acting military investigative judge, Judge Fadi Sawan, issued an indictment for the Khalde incident two days ago, referring 32 defendants, including 23 detainees from the Arabs of Khalde, to the military court for trial. However, he disregarded all Hezbollah affiliates who were involved in the clashes. Sawan requested that the defendants be tried for “forming an armed group with the intent of committing crimes against people, murder, attempted murder, inciting sectarian strife, vandalism and the use of unlicensed war weapons.” Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that what happened in Khalde was “attempted murder, this massacre was committed by a gang.” He demanded that “all those involved, whose faces and names are well-known, be held accountable.”
