Activist Accused of Collaborating with Israel Released

A Lebanese court released a social media activist on bail on Tuesday, after her lawyer filed an appeal against a three-year sentence for "collaborating" with Israel, the lawyer and a judicial source said.

Kinda al-Khatib, who is in her twenties, was arrested in June and charged with "collaborating with the enemy", "entering the occupied Palestinian territories" and "collaborating with spies of the Israeli enemy".

Lebanon is technically still at war with Israel and forbids its citizens from traveling there.

Khatib was sentenced to three years in prison in December.

"The military appeals court on Tuesday decided to release the activist Kinda al-Khatib in exchange for a bail of three million Lebanese pounds," ($1,990 officially, $200 at the market rate), the judicial source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the case.

Her lawyer Jocelyne al-Rahi told AFP she had filed an appeal that had been accepted and a new verdict would be issued.

"Kinda will continue to appear in court" until the new judgement, she added.

Local media reports had said that Khatib visited Israel by crossing from Jordan.

Since mass protests erupted against the political class in October 2019, several social media activists have been called in for questioning or intimidated, according to free speech defenders.

Khatib's family and activists have denounced her arrest as "political" and a reaction to her tweets against those in power.

Amnesty International has called for a trial in a civilian court.