Lebanon’s military court missed a vital chance to hold accountable perpetrators of the torture that led to the death in custody of Syrian refugee Bashar Abd Saud, Amnesty International said today. On 29 November 2022, five members of State Security, including one officer, were indicted on charges under Lebanon’s 2017 Anti-Torture Law over Saud’s death and were subsequently detained. All but one was released after the first court session on 16 December 2022. The remaining detainee was released earlier this year. However, on 1 November 2024, all defendants were sentenced to time served after the court reduced the nature of their crime from felony to misdemeanor, dropped the charges under the anti-torture law and replaced them with the Article 166 of the Code of Military Justice that prohibits violating regulations, orders and general instructions.
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