Lebanese military court under the microscope

A conference on military justice was recently held in Lebanon under the auspices of "Juridical Agenda." Seeking to separate the larger issues from the current controversy over the case of former minister Michel Samaha, the participants concluded not that the military court should be abolished, but that it should not have the power to try civilians. Jurist and researcher Myriam Mehanna explained that the military court violates the right to a fair trial in two respects: the independence of the court and respecting the procedural rights of the accused.