Afterwards, the students’ office pronounced a welcome speech, post to which Mrs. Mona Ghosn Bassem spoke in the name of Khiam rehabilitation center and subsequently a conference was held under the title:

“The liberated detainees between the international law and the Lebanese society”, in which Doctor Mona Fayad, chair of the psychology department in the human sciences and literature faculty – Lebanese university, and Doctor Hassan Jouny general law lecturer – Lebanese university – and permanent expert in the international humanitarian law/ Geneva, gave a discourse.

Doctor Mona Fayad exposed the detention sequels yet the consequences of the physical and psychological torture from which the detainees endured, along with the depressive psychiatric diseases, the over expressed reactions, and the pathological diseases they are suffering from (26% of the liberated detainees suffer from genetic problems, 12% from breathing difficulties etc…).

She spoke most notably about the side effects caused by the detention and the perturbation that reigns among the structure of the liberated detainee family, yet expressed the psychological cure to be prescribed for the detainee and his reinsertion means in the society. Mrs. Fayad stressed on the necessity to follow up each case separately and considered that this thorny subject concerns all the southern citizens not only the detainees, and requires a general prevention scheme on the state level which has not been fulfilled till nowadays. In this frame, she has called for the subvention of the liberated detainees and the southern citizens basic needs, such as providing them with houses, work opportunities, sentimental serenity, and education. Literally, she stressed on the extreme needs for a specialized assistance and assigned to the media the important role in the prevention of violence.

From his side Doctor Hassan Jouny evaluated the subject from the legal point of view, therefore he distinguished between the definition of a detainee and a detainee in a concentration camp as stated in the international law.

The detainee is every person that fought the enemy thereof was caught and he enjoys, pursuant to the third Geneva convention, all the war detainees privileges, therefore cannot be prosecuted, in any way, whereas the detainee in the concentration camps subject to the fourth Geneva agreement relevant to the civilians during the state of war and every civilian whose actions were not within the activities of a military resistance, than the enemy is entitled per this agreement to trial this detainee.               .

He stressed on the necessity incumbent on Lebanese republic to call for the application of the third and fourth Geneva agreement despite the Israeli refusal to implement the third convention to prevent that this matter creates a legal acknowledgment of the resistance.

The mechanism of prosecuting Internationally the Zionist enemy:

Doctor Jouny exposed the means that could be adopted at the United Nations:  

1.       Through the Security Council, therewith in asking for the constitution of special penal courts, similar to the Yugoslavian and Serbian example. This is the best legal way for Lebanon despite the danger of the use of an American veto.

2.       Through the general assembly in which Lebanon succeeded to gather supporting positions.

3.       Through the international justice court, still this procedure exposes Lebanon to a major danger if it recourses to it because the same will bind a legal recognition in Israel and requires on the other hand the Israeli approval to be prosecuted.

In addition, Lebanon shall prosecute along with the Hebraic nation the persons who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity according to the article 85 of the first protocol of the third and fourth Geneva agreement ( Here the security counsel is held responsible for this case).

Ø       Subsequently the students asked their relevant questions.

Ø       The conference was accompanied by an exhibition of photographs pertaining to Khiam detention camp, the torture procedures and the detainees movements. Finally the students’ office submitted an armature to each lecturer in estimation to their work and presence in the conference.

12/04/2001