Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr requested the death penalty Monday for a Fatah al-Islam leader held in Roumieh prison over the murder of a fellow inmate earlier this month.
Lebanese detainee Mohammad Youssef, also known as Abul Walid, allegedly gave orders to eight members of Fatah al-Islam to kill Palestinian prisoner Ghassan Qindaqli. Youssef is accused of being the leader of Fatah al-Islam in Roumieh prison, where the group has imposed its authority on Bloc B throughout the years.
Qindaqli, who was found hanging in his cell in on Jan. 18, was serving a life sentence on multiple counts of murder and other drug-related offences.
Last week, Saqr pressed charges against the eight Islamists for the premeditated murder of Qindaqli. He also charged three prison guards with negligence of duty.
Saqr referred the file to First Military Investigative Judge Riad Abu Ghayda Monday, who in turn referred the charges against all nine Islamists to Military Investigative Judge Fadi Sawwan.
Sawwan began reviewing the case before starting to investigate the nine Islamists and the three guards. The death penalty sentence is in accordance with Article 549 of the Penal Code.
The Islamists turned themselves in on condition that interrogations take place inside the prisoner’s cell.
Police negotiated the deal with inmates last week via Islamist figures in order to prevent bloodshed as the Army and Internal Security Forces prepared to storm Bloc B.
Over 100 Islamists are detained in Roumieh, most without trial, for alleged links to Fatah al-Islam. Their relatives have held several protests to push for their trials. Fatah al-Islam fought a battle against the Lebanese Army in the summer of 2007 in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.
