26th June of this year was characterized by the diversity of the participants; public and official, represented by the participation of the Former Prime Minister Dr. Salim El-Hoss, the Ministers of Health and Culture, the Human Rights Parliament Committee, members of the Lebanese Parliament, House of the UN (ESCWA), Presidents of Municipalities, Representatives of Foreign Embassies, International and Human Rights Organizations, the International Red Cross Delegation in Lebanon, the Regional Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Regional Office of Amnesty International for the Middle East and North Africa and more than 30 Palestinian and Lebanese Human Rights committees and associations.

The preparations for the activities started a month and a half before the event and the number of the participants and the visitors of the Festival of Justice at Ein El-Mrayyseh area in Beirut is estimated by 7,000 citizen.
And what gave the importance to the event is the direct extensive participation of the families, siblings, parents and mothers of the detainees, the disappearances and the victims of torture. They have participated in the various activities whether in Beirut or the South of Lebanon, in addition to the highly media coverage; 6 local and Arab TVs, 3 Radios and 11 Local and Arab Newspapers.

The activities also marked an important event to demand from the Lebanese government to sign on the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) as well as demanding it to join the Rome System of the International Criminal Court, and many others.
The activities of this year were a loud scream demanding the release of the detainees and prevailing the fate of the disappearances as well as granting the needed medical, psychological and social assistance to the victims of torture.  
The even also drew attention to the Lebanese Prisons and demanded the government to open this closed issue as well as preventing torture in all its kinds and calling to stop violence against children and women.

JUNE 09, 2006 - The Launch of the Festival of Justice

The story of June 26 events of this year started on 09/06/2006 where the Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture and in cooperation with the Civil Society Organizations launched the Program of June 26 Activities in the Lebanese Press Syndicate under the title "The Festival of Justice".
Mr. Safa, the Secretary General of KRC, delivered a statement that included the aims of this campaign and the program of the activities. Another statement was also delivered by Mr. Charles Nasrallah in the name of Amnesty International where he prevailed and discussed the Lebanese Prisons' situations.

Please click here to read the KRC Statement about the occasion (in Arabic) delivered by Mr. Mohammed Safa on June 9, 2006 in the Lebanese Press Syndicate launching the Festival of Justice.
Click here to Read the Press Clippings of June 9 Events.

JUNE 19, 2006 - The Launch of the National Campaign to Join the International Criminal Court

On 19/06/2006, Amnesty International and in cooperation with the Civil Society Organizations launched the National Campaign to Join the International Criminal Court in accordance with June 26 Activities where Mr. Charles Nasrallah delivered a statement (Ar) in the name of the campaign launchers.

Click here to Read the Press Clippings of June 19 Events.

JUNE 23, 2006 - An Open-for-free Medical Day in support of the Mothers of the Detainees in the Tent facing ESCWA (Beirut) AND The Launch of the KRC Report about the Medical and Social Conditions of the the Siblings, Parents and Mothers of the detainees and the Missing Persons.

On 23/06/2006, KRC organized an open-for-free medical day for the sit-inners (the siblings, parents and mothers of the detainees and the missing persons) whose Tent is set up in front of the UN House (ESCWA) in Beirut. On this day, a special Report about the Medical and Social Conditions of the the Siblings, Parents and Mothers of the detainees and the Missing Persons was launched by the KRC after the previous frequent diagnosis of the sit-inners who were mostly the families of the Lebanese detainees and missing persons in the Syrian Prisons.
The report was delivered by the member of the Medical Committee in the Center, Dr. Ziad Beshara.

The KRC Medical Report (Arabic) about the Health of the Mothers of the ESCWA
Please click here to get the English Version.
Click here to Read the Press Clippings of June 23 Events.

JUNE 24, 2006 - An Open-for-free Medical Day in the House of the Lebanese Detainee / Der Seryan, South of Lebanon

On 24/06/2006, KRC organized an open-for-free medical day for the children of the detainees and their families in the center's branch in the South of Lebanon in the presence and kind care of the Dr. Ali Ghanadour, the representative of the Lebanese Minister of Health and Mr. Mohammed Loubani, the President of Der Seryan Municipality.
Statements by the representative of the Lebanese Minister of Health, the President of Der Seryan Municipality and the KRC Secretary General were delivered in the occasion.
Four doctors participated in this day and around 75 victims of torture and their families were diagnosed.

JUNE 25, 2006 - The Festival of Justice at Ein El-Mrayyseh Place

On 25/06/2006, the KRC celebrated the international day in cooperation with Amnesty International, Lebanese Association for Human Rights, National Institute for Social Care&Vocational Training “Beit Atfal Al-Somoud”, Committee of Parents for kidnapped or disappeared persons in Lebanon, Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile (SOLIDE), FollowUp Committee for the Support of the Lebanese Detainees in the Israeli Prisons and the Union of Disabled, at Ein El-Mrayyseh Place where the seaside of Ras-Beirut was crowded with he citizens all under the Festival of Justice Title.

The festival was accompanied by large posters and drawings with a big tent holding the names of the detainees, the missing persons, the martyrs and torture testimonies speaking about their suffer in the Syrian and Israeli Prisons, in addition to photos for children and women being subjected to torture in Palestine, Iraq and other victims of war.

The festival also included a special exhibition, the first of its kind, under the title: "Their Belongings Talk" where the private belongings of the detainees, the missing persons and the martyrs told us how much they have missed them. In addition to these belongings, handcrafts by female detainees and drawings by children had also a special place in the exhibition.

With the lovely songs of the Lebanese diva Fairouz and Marcel Khalifeh, and after the children's launch of the colorful kites holding the "Together Against Torture" logo, the festival started by the Khiam Center Statement delivered by its member Ms. Amal Khalil. Then, statements for the occasion were delivered by the ex-detainee Haseeb AbdelHamid (his statement in Arabic) in the name of the FollowUp Committee for the Support of the Lebanese Detainees in the Israeli Prisons, Mr. Ghazi Aad (his statement in Arabic) the President of the Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile (SOLIDE), Mr. Audis Markarian in the name of Amnesty International, the mother of the missing detainee Maher Kassir, Mrs. Mariam El-Saedi in the name of the Committee of Parents for kidnapped or disappeared persons in Lebanon and Bassam El-Kantar, the brother of the longest-held Lebanese Detainee in the Israeli Prisons Samir EL-Kantar.
The Festival which lasted for the whole day included concerts for El-Soumoud Group, a sit-in and boats’ parade from the Fishermen’s Port in Ein El-Mrayyseh, sport’s show for Fatima Farran and the festival was ended by a Musical Concert by Dr. Wissam Hamadeh.

Click here to read the KRC Speech delivered by Ms. Amal Khalil (Arabic)
Click here to Read the Press Clippings of June 24 & 25 Events

JUNE 26,2006 - With the kind care and presence of the Former Prime Minister Dr. Salim El-Hoss, a celebration in the Lebanese Press House.

On 26/06/2006, the KRC organized in cooperation with a number of Human Rights Organizations, a crowded Celebration in the Lebanese Press Syndicate in the process of The Festival of Justice with the kind care and presence of the Former Prime Minister Dr. Salim El-Hoss.

The celebration was attended by the Deputy Mr. Antoine Andrawous representing the Deputy Mr. Saad Hariri, Mr. Michel Abu-Ataba representing the Deputy General Michel Aoun, Mr. Fouad Sharrouf representing the Deputy Mr. Anwar El-Khalil, the former Minister Mr. Bechara Merhej, Brigadier Tahseen Khateeb representing General Suleiman; leader of the Lebanese Army, ambassadors and diplomatic associations, representatives of the Civil Society, Mothers of the Disappearances and the Detainees and the Ex-Detainees.

After the Lebanese National Anthem and a reception from Ms. Amal Khalil, the President of the Lebanese Press Syndicate Mr. Mohammed El-Baalbaki delivered a statement where he assured that any kind of torture is a torture for humanity. Statements in the occasion were delivered by Mr. Mohammd Safa the KRC Secretary General, the lawyer Mr. Nehme Jomaa President of the Lebanese Association for Human Rights, Mr. Kassem Ayna the President of the National Institute for Social Care&Vocational Training “Beit Atfal Al-Somoud”, Mr. Ahmed Karoud the Regional Director of AMNESTY International in the Middle East and North Africa, Mr. Guan Coderque the President of the Delegation of the International Red Cross in Lebanon. Dr. Hasan El-Sharif, the Counselor of the Urgent Matters at ESCWA, delivered the Statement of the UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Arab Regions Ms. Giorgia Brignone delivered the statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human rights Ms. Louise Arbour and the Deputy Mr. Hasan Hobballah delivered the statement of the Lebanese Parliament Committee of Human Rights.
The celebration's statement was ended by the Former Prime Minister Dr. Salim El-Hoss who said: "Torture is shame on the face of the Modern Civilization".

Click here to read the KRC JUNE 26, 2006 Statement delivered by Mr. Mohammed Safa (Arabic & English).
To Read the other Statements, please click on the name:
Mr. Nehme Jomaa (Ar)
Mr. Kassem Ayna (Ar)
Dr. Hasan El-Sharif (Ar) - (En)
Ms. Giorgia Brignone (Ar) - (En)


The Evening of June 26:

With the kind care and presence of the Minister of Culture Dr. Tarek Mitri, a Photo Exhibition under the title of “Silent Eyes” for the Artist Hasan Bazzi in the UNESCO characterized the evening of June 26.

After a tour in the Exhibition, Mr. Safa delievered had a welcoming statement thanking Dr. Tarek Mitri for his care and presence in Hasan Bazzi Exhibition. Mr. Safa said: "The Exhibition of Hasan Bazzi's speaking loving eyes are the eyes which are screaming with us today against torture asking for living with dignity".

The Minister of Culture Dr. Tarek Mitri said: "First I want to encourage our colleagues at Khiam Center for the steps they are taking reminding us that there is in the world today a network of people standing in solidarity to fight torture, reminding us that what we are doing as governments and nations in our country and other regions of the world is still negligible in comparison to the increasing emergence of kinds of torture in the modern world".

Click on link to Read Press Clippings of Photo Exhibition at UNESCO )
Click here to Read the Press Clippings of June 26 Events

06/07/2006