1. The fifth session of Sheikh Hassan Mchaymech’s trial was held on Friday, May 11, 2012.
Of note:
For the first time, members of the tribunal asked Sheikh Hassan to describe his version of the events that led up to his incarceration (first in Syria and then in Lebanon). He was also asked for clarification about some of the details.
In response, Sheikh Mchaymech did a masterly job of recounting his “divorce” from Hezbollah and requesting that several senior Hezbollah members be summoned by the court as witnesses.
As was to be expected, the Sheikh’s performance was unprecedented in the history of the Military Tribunal and as expected, the next session was postponed until October 5! Clearly, the absurdly long interval between sessions was simply a means to keep Sheikh Mchaymech in the “dungeon” and out of public circulation!
2. In partnership with the Cultural Council of South Lebanon, the Committee of the Friends of Sheikh Hassan Mchaymech held a panel discussion on May 10, 2012—the eve of the Sheikh’s next trial session. The discussion focused on the publication release of “Difaf 23 – Views on Islam, Freedom and Wilayat al-Faqih,” a compilation of the Sheikh’s more controversial writings.
Panel attendees included dozens of Sheikh Hassan’s friends and supporters, and the two keynote speakers were Sayyed Mohammad Hassan al-Ameen and Sheikh Iyad Abdallah. Both presenters underscored the Sheikh’s exceptionally high intellectual profile and excoriated the insult to Lebanon’s reputation for freedom vis-à-vis the arrest and indictment of someone who simply dared to express dissenting ideas.