On 12 May 2012, Shadi Al Mawlawi, a Lebanese national known to support the Syrian opposition as well as Syrian refugees in Lebanon, was arrested in Tripoli. The 25-year-old merchant of office furniture now faces a military trial based on terrorism charges. In view of the seemingly political motivation behind this persecution, Alkarama calls on the Lebanese authorities to respect Mr Al Mawlawi's right to a fair trial.