World Report 2011 - Human Rights Watch

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICASuleiman, who under Lebanese law must approve every death sentence, said thathe would approve death penalties issued by military tribunals.Freedom of ExpressionDespite Lebanon’s vibrant media, 2010 saw increased harassment of bloggersand journalists who criticize the army and certain high-ranking officials. In MarchMilitary Intelligence briefly detained and interrogated a blogger, Khodor Salemeh,for posting a series of articles critical of the army and the three heads of state. InJune security forces detained Na`im Hanna, Antoine Ramia, and Shibel Kassab forposting comments critical of the president on Facebook. An investigative judgecharged them with libel, defamation, and insulting the president, but releasedthem on bail on July 2. In August Military Intelligence summoned Hassan Oleik, ajournalist with al-Akhbar newspaper, for writing about an alleged conversationbetween Defense Minister Elias Murr and the country’s army commander, JeanKahwaji, concerning a suspected Israeli spy. They released him a few hours later.In August Military Intelligence also briefly detained Ismael Sheikh Hassan, anurban planner, over an article he published criticizing public authorities and thearmy for their handling of the reconstruction of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp.RefugeesThe estimated 300,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live in appalling socialand economic conditions. In August Lebanon’s parliament amended its labor lawto facilitate the ability of Palestinian refugees to obtain work permits by exemptingthem from reciprocity requirements, eliminating work permit fees, and givingthem limited social security benefits. However, the reform did nothing to removerestrictions that bar Palestinians from working in at least 25 professions requiringsyndicate membership, including law, medicine, and engineering. It also leavesin place a work permit system that relies on employer cooperation, a system thathas previously relegated most Palestinians to black market labor. Palestinianrefugees are still subject to a discriminatory law introduced in 2001 preventingthem from registering property.Palestinians from the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp—destroyed in the 2007 battlebetween Lebanon’s army and the armed Fatah al-Islam group—continue to live in557