Security forces cracked down on demonstrators in Tripoli after deadly protests resulted in the torching of the municipality building last month.
Lawyers acting for the detained told The National that 24 people have been arrested since January 31, in conditions they describe as unlawful.
They say the detained were not allowed to contact a lawyer prior to their interrogation or inform their family of their arrest and that at least two of them had been beaten.
Authorities deny the allegations and say they arrested people suspected of torching government buildings and attacking members of the security forces.
Alaa Hussein, 29, is a political activist who was in the custody of army intelligence for five days. His brother, Bilal, said authorities did not inform the family of his whereabouts or why he had been detained.
“At first we didn’t even know what happened to Alaa. We had to use our connections to find out he was detained by the army,” Bilal said. “All these people were arrested in a mafioso way.”
In the last week of January, Tripolitans took to the streets to protest against poverty and a lack of financial support from the government during a strict 25-day coronavirus lockdown.
The demonstrations turned violent when protesters tried to storm the Tripoli Serail, the seat of the local government. The municipality building was set alight that week after a protester was shot dead by the Internal Security Forces, which admitted live ammunition had been used “in self-defence”.
We are fighting for authorities to simply follow the law. Unfortunately, legislation remains ink on paper
An army intelligence source told The National that those detained are suspected of having taken part in violent acts.
But activists and lawyers believe many are being unlawfully detained. The arrests sparked small protests in Beirut and Tripoli and fuelled further distrust of authorities.
Dozens of protesters gathered in front of Tripoli's Justice Palace last Thursday to demand their release.
Hilal Bodon, 41, said he believed authorities were trying to repress the protest movement by resorting to arbitrary arrests.
"Many of the people who were arrested in Tripoli are influential in the protest movement, but they are not the ones who burnt down government buildings," the activist told The National.
The army said it had arrested 27 people in relation to the rioting in Tripoli.
The Internal Security Forces did not disclose any arrests and could not be reached for comment. Lawyers told The National that more than 40 people were arrested by the army and security forces and 24 were still detained.
Ali Abbas, a lawyer to some of the detainees and activist at the Popular Observatory to Fight Corruption told The National that among the 24 detained only two have been released this week. Fifteen of them were formally charged with at least one of the following: rioting, forming a gang and assaulting security forces. They are set to appear before a military court. The remaining detainees should know whether they will be charged or released on Friday.
"They are essentially trying to silence protesters," Mr Abbas said.
The Popular Observatory to Fight Corruption has called for the immediate release of the protesters and has been holding regular demonstrations in front of the Military Tribunal in Beirut.
Mohamed Sablouh, a lawyer, filed a complaint with the General Prosecutor for the enforced disappearance and unlawful detention of at least 25 demonstrators, including two minors.
“Detainees have a right to call their families and to access a lawyer. They are being denied this right,” he said.
Mr Sablouh said he also had evidence that two demonstrators were beaten by security forces.
“We are fighting for authorities to simply follow the law. Unfortunately, legislation remains ink on paper.”
Two army sources denied the allegations.
Mr Sablouh said that although the law was recently amended to allow a lawyer to be present during questioning, he was surprised when authorities informed him that most of those detained had waived their right to that.
An army representative told The National they were not bound by law to have a lawyer present during questioning.
"This is a new amendment to the law that has not been put into practice yet," he said.
The Tripoli Bar Association, of which Mr Sablouh is a member, plans to file a petition to the government next week to lobby for the rights of detainees to be respected.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The%20specs
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more from Janine di Giovanni
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
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ON%20TRACK
%3Cp%3EThe%20Dubai%20Metaverse%20Assembly%20will%20host%20three%20main%20tracks%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEducate%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Consists%20of%20more%20than%2010%20in-depth%20sessions%20on%20the%20metaverse%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInspire%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Will%20showcase%20use%20cases%20of%20the%20metaverse%20in%20tourism%2C%20logistics%2C%20retail%2C%20education%20and%20health%20care%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EContribute%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Workshops%20for%20metaverse%20foresight%20and%20use-case%20reviews%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
