Following his arrest in October 2014, Malaz was detained and sentenced for acts of terrorism. Pending decision on the appropriate punishment, the Juvenile Court in North of Lebanon issued a release order. Hence, on 27 May 2016, Malaz was handed over to the General Security to proceed with his release. As days passed and Malaz was not freed, his lawyer inquired about him at the General Security, which refused to provide him with any information on his whereabouts.

Malaz was finally released on 23 June 2016 at 1 am from the premises of the General Security. He refers that he was held incommunicado by the military police, who beat him in order to force him to make confessions according to which he had "personal links with terrorist groups."

"While welcoming Malaz's release, we are extremely concerned about his allegations of torture while detained incommunicado. This is even more worrying as he had already been tortured in detention, his forced confessions having been used as a basis for charging and condemning him," says Inès Osman, Legal Coordinator at Alkarama. "If Lebanon is serious about respecting his human rights obligations, as it affirmed during its last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in November 2015 when it committed to put an end torture, the authorities must promptly open a thorough and impartial inquiry into all the allegations of torture Malaz raised."

For more information or an interview, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Tel: +41 22 734 1008).