BEIRUT: Lawyers in Tripoli observed a strike call on Monday after a weekend incident that saw a lawyer roughed up by security personnel after he failed to heed parking measures in place for Bar Association elections. The head of Tripoli’s Bar Association, Antoine Ayrout, claimed in a news conference on Monday that a statement issued by the Internal Security Forces (ISF) concerning the incident that occurred between a lawyer and the ISF in Tripoli was “completely wrong.”
Ayrout condemned the ISF personnel’s treatment of lawyer Tony Franjieh and urged association members to adhere to the strike call.
The incident took place when Franjieh parked his car in front of the entrance to the Serail, where the election was to take place, ignoring ISF instructions that prevented almost all Bar members from parking their cars in the vicinity of the building.
But Ayrout said that the ISF statement “did not include one correct fact.” He took issue with the ISF’s version, which mentioned that one ISF member was injured, arguing that in fact, Franjieh was the one who had been assaulted.
“For every police officer who attacks a citizen an ISF statement is released saying the policeman was injured,” Ayrout added.
Ayrout added that Franjieh and the other lawyers involved in the case waited for tensions to calm on the day of the incident, but that the ISF members failed to do the same.
“The mentality ISF members are acting upon is no longer acceptable,” he added, demanding that the video from the surveillance camera be made public to clarify the details.
Sunday’s election was postponed until further notice, and the Tripoli Bar will meet Tuesday to decide on the duration of the strike.
“The strike represents a warning,” Ayrout said, adding Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud and ISF chief General Ashraf Rifi were following the case.
The Beirut Bar Association also called on all its members Monday to abstain from attending court hearings.
“The attack represents a dangerous crime against Franjieh and against all lawyers in Lebanon,” the Beirut association said in a statement.
Former Tripoli MP Mosbah Ahdab said Monday that the incident involved political motives, claiming that someone in the ISF’s information department “was trying to get involved in politics and elections.”
However, a source close to the ISF denied that politics were involved, and said nothing would be settled before the conclusion of judicial investigations into the matter.
The source added that while the incident could have involved a “personal motive,” no matter the cause, engaging in a war of words shouldn’t be taken lightly.
“Insulting the ISF is also an insult to Lebanon’s sovereignty,” the source said.
The source reiterated that if the confrontation had political or personal reasons the judicial authorities would take legal measures against the perpetrators even if they were members of the ISF. – The Daily Star
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