On 12 September 2014, Walid, 16 years old at the time, was arrested at a military checkpoint based on information provided by "secret informants" and detained incommunicado for three months. He was severely tortured at the premises of the military intelligence in Hanna Ghostine Barracks in Araman, north Lebanon, including through electrocution, hanged with his wrists behind his back, beaten and denied food and water.
It is under torture that he was then forced to confess being a "member of a terrorist group", for which he was object of prosecution by the Military Court sitting in Beirut, despite him raising his allegations of torture before the judge. A minor at the time of arrest, his case was then transferred to the Juvenile Court of North of Lebanon sitting in Tripoli, according to the Lebanese Juvenile Law.
On 25 October 2016, the Juvenile Justice Court in Tripoli ordered his release upon payment of financial guarantee of 1.600.000 Lebanese Lira (approximately 1060$) pending trial. Therefore, Walid was released from the juvenile section of Roumieh where he was detained.
"Despite welcoming Walid's release we are appalled that the Lebanese judiciary continues to prosecute him on the sole basis of information extracted under torture while he was detained without any access to the outside world," says Inès Osman, Legal Coordinator at Alkarama. "It is unacceptable that even minors accused of terrorism are blatantly denied their fundamental rights. Lebanon must put an end to these violations with the greatest urgency and ensure children in conflict with the law are tried within a juvenile justice system that respects all the fundamental guarantees for fair trial."
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