Report: Army Panel to Probe Detainees Death, Sarraf to Declare Outcome

The government has decided to ask the Army Command to form a panel of inquiry into the death of at least four Syrian detainees in the army's custody, a media report said on Thursday.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri raised the issue during Wednesday's Cabinet session, noting that the army's announcement that four detainees had died due to chronic health problems has “raised question marks” in Lebanon and abroad, al-Hayat newspaper reported.

“It was decided to ask the Army Command to form a panel of inquiry into the circumstances of their deaths,” the daily said.

“Defense Minister Yacoub Sarraf would then brief Cabinet on the outcome before announcing the results in a press conference,” al-Hayat added.

A Syrian opposition group and international and local human rights organizations had on Wednesday called for a quick investigation into the death of the four detainees.

The four were detained in a sweeping security raid last week in refugee settlements in and around the border town of Arsal that netted 355 Syrians. Troops were met with a string of suicide attacks and grenades that left seven of them wounded and a Syrian child dead.

The army's announcement that four detainees died due to "chronic health problems aggravated by weather conditions" sparked swift allegations that the four Syrian men were tortured to death, particularly after images emerged depicting a body with a bruised neck and bloody face.

Lawyer Nabil Halabi, who heads the Lebanese Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (LIFE), said there were indications as many as 10 refugees had died under torture.

The Syrian National Coalition, a Turkey-based opposition group, alleged that Lebanese authorities were rushing the funerals without carrying out autopsies to determine the cause of death.

In Arsal on Wednesday, Syrian refugees blocked a road to prevent the return of the bodies of the four for burial, demanding that autopsies take place first.

According to photos seen by The Associated Press, two of the bodies showed heavy bruising on the face and abdomen — which Halabi said was consistent with beatings.

The army over the weekend dismissed allegations of abuse, saying mass detentions were necessary to combat terrorism. There has been no official response from the military to the accusations that followed the deaths.