The
Penal Court of Appeals has stopped military court proceedings
against 88 defendants of Gen. Aoun's Free Patrioric
Front and Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces, ruling that
charges against them fell outside the jurisdiction of
army tribunals.
The judicial move coincided with a fresh tirade by Gen.
Aoun from Paris, saying "state institutions have
capitulated to (Syrian) occupation, making the Lebanese
people suffer their death throes before their funeral."
All
88 defendants were bound over to civil courts to try
them on minor charges of staging unlicensed demonstrations
or holding secret meetings, according to the eight
verdicts handed down by the Penal Court of Appeals
Monday evening.
The
charge of abusing the Syrian and Lebanese armies was
upheld by the Appeals Court against Lteif, Deeb, Haddad
and 15 other defendants to face trial before a military
court, however, An Nahar said on Tuesday.
"We
are living the worst era of decadence in our political
life," Aoun said in his Paris statement, "The
nation has lost the basic concepts required to stand
upon since the state has wrecked the legal principles
that should govern its relationship with the People."
Aoun
attacked the Qornet Shahwan coalition of moderate
Christian politicians, charging they had succumbed
to alleged Lahoud coercion. "They say they are
pragmatists and want me to join them. But I am not
a pragmatist."
Turning
his propaganda guns against President Lahoud, Aoun
said no one contests that constitution right of the
president to 'above-criticism' respect. But he who
holds the post should respect himself in the first
place."
