Credit: Hannah McKay/Reuters

While Lebanese and Israeli officials hold U.S.-mediated talks, Lebanon’s military court has sentenced activist Joumana Jabbara and writer-academic Dr. Ahmad Yassin in absentia to 15 years in prison for statements and positions concerning Israel.

The rulings, which also stripped both defendants of their civil rights, have reignited debate over the trial of civilians before military courts and the judiciary’s role in cases involving political expression, News.Az reports, citing MBN.

Critics say the convictions underscore a contradiction between the prosecution of individuals accused of communicating with Israel and the Lebanese state’s simultaneous participation in negotiations with the country.

The case against Jabbara stems from a social media post in which she reportedly praised Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee and thanked him for strikes against Hezbollah positions while expressing support for peace with Israel. Adraee publicly responded to the post, thanking her for her remarks in November 2024, according to Lebanese media reports.

The charges against Yassin were based on a video he published in late 2024 discussing the ancient ruins of Baalbek after an Israeli airstrike near the site damaged the historic Al-Manshiyah building.

Yassin told Alhurra that the video did not call for targeting the archaeological complex. Rather, he said it criticized former Culture Minister Mohammad Wissam Mortada for removing the United Nations’ Blue Shield emblem from the Baalbek ruins, warning that military activity around the site could expose it to danger.

In the video, Yassin also discussed Hezbollah’s 2009 “True Promise” exhibition inside the fortress, where Israeli weapons and equipment captured following Israel’s withdrawal in 2000 were displayed. He argued that the exhibition militarized the historic site. He said he never claimed military tunnels existed beneath the fortress, only that ancient Roman tunnels had been used to display the equipment.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli