Samir
Geagea's attorneys have complained to Patriarch Nasrallah
Sfeir that he is "subjected to ruthless, systematic,
deliberate and devastating psychological torture in
a narrow, airless and lightless underground dungeon"
at the defense ministry in Yarze.
The complaint of the only civil warlord jailed in Lebanon,
was carried to the head of Lebanon's Maronite Catholic
church by a delegation of lawyers representing Geagea's
150 defense attorneys. The text was published Friday
by An Nahar.
"Jailers
handcuff him and blindfold him whenever he is taken
out of his cell and in seven days a week he is allowed
to talk to his relatives, lawyers and priests for
no more than 60 minutes," the letter said. "He
is often shaken out of sleep to be randomly frisked
in a degrading manner."
The
lawyers appealed to cardinal Sfeir to intervene on
Geagea's behalf to stop his merciless ordeal, "which
stands as a gross violation of human rights, international
conventions and the Lebanese constitution."
The
letter complained that Geagea is isolated from the
world. "He is not allowed to read newspapers
or magazine and his requests to a television set have
all been turned down. He is allowed no incoming or
outgoing mail."
The
patriarch had frequently complained in public about
Geagea's incarceration while all other Muslim and
pro-Syrian militia commanders of the 1975-1990 civil
war were left unmolested and many of them were even
given cabinet posts. But the patriarchal pleas had
fallen on deaf ears.
Beirut
courts had passed four death sentences against Geagea
since his arrest in 1994, when his Lebanese Forces
militia that changed into political party after the
civil war was outlawed. All the death verdicts were
commuted to life imprisonment.
He
has been convicted on four assassination counts although
Geagea had denied the charges, stubbornly contending
that his trial was politically motivated because he
refused to join post-war governments like his Muslim
adversaries.
