By Samya Kullab
BEIRUT: Conflicting reports emerged Tuesday that the preliminary investigation into the standoff last week between the bodyguards of an MP and feminist activists had been wrapped up, with the activists’ lawyer saying he had no knowledge about the decision. A judicial source told The Daily Star that Judge Dani al-Zeini had concluded his preliminary investigation into the standoff between Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel’s bodyguards and a group of activists from the feminist collective Nasawiya, and referred the case to Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr.
The source, speaking to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity, said Zeini had wrapped up the case after requests to obtain video from activists and Al-Jadeed went unanswered.
Moreover, the source added, the medical examiners were unable to examine the activists injured during the Friday night spat because the aggrieved had failed to pay them in advance.
However, Nasawiya’s lawyer Nizar Saghieh said that he had not been informed whether such a decision had actually been made and declined to comment over it’s validity.
However, he did tell The Daily Star: “According to my knowledge, the police asked us to submit [the video and photographic evidence] Thursday.”
He added that to conclude the investigation in such a way would be “unrealistic” and run counter to the norms of jurisprudence: “They need that evidence or else they can’t take an objective stance.”
Farah Salka, a Nasawiya member, learned online of the reports that the investigation had been referred, and described the reports of Zeini’s decision as “insane.”
“I don’t know what kind of court case closes in two days,” she said, saying the group’s legal team was in the midst of compiling the video and photographic evidence, much of which can be found on social networking sites.
Moreover, Salka added, the group had paid for an independent medical examiner to appraise the injured and had three medical reports.
The case in question was opened after a bodyguard of Gemayel was taken into custody by police over the weekend when he drove toward a crowd of activists outside a police station in the Beirut neighborhood of Gemmayzeh, injuring Nidal Ayoub.

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03/07/2013
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