Political Prisoner Returns after 27 Years, Confirms More Lebanese Held in Syria

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

The recent release of a Lebanese man who had been detained in Syria in the past 27 years brought back to the spotlight the issue of the Lebanese who went missing during Lebanon’s 1975-90 Civil War.

The media identified the man as 49-year-old Yaacoub Chamoun, who was seized in the eastern city of Zahle, and later moved to several Syrian prisons during his incarceration, including the notorious Mezze, Saydnaya and Tadmor prisons.

Chamoun was also placed in solitary confinement for four years.

He was later transferred to a civilian prison and was able to secure his release by paying millions in cash through a powerful Syrian lawyer.

The release of Chamoun in July proved that Syrian authorities were still detaining Lebanese political prisoners despite claims that they had set all of them free.

The Assad regime has long denied holding any prisoners of conscience, but on four different occasions between 1976 and 2000 has released Lebanese who had been held in Syrian prisons.

The man confirmed to LBCI TV network that there are Lebanese political prisoners in Syrian jails and said he had encountered five of them but he refused to name them for fears that the revelation would do them harm.

The head of the committee of Lebanese political detainees in Syrian jails, Ali Abu Dehen, told An Nahar daily that a former prisoner had been sent to meet Chamoun and inquire him about other Lebanese.

But the committee failed in getting any additional information , Abu Dehen said.

The civil war has claimed the lives of at least 150,000 people. For over 21 years, more than 600 families -- Lebanese and Palestinian -- have demanded authorities reveal the fate of the thousands believed to have disappeared at the hands of Syrian troops who entered Lebanon shortly after the outbreak of the war.

Comments 30
Default-user-icon piotr (Guest) 28 August 2012, 09:15

Gharib !! General Aoun said that there was no Lebanese left in the Syrian prisons... and the general is never wrong !

Default-user-icon SomeOne (Guest) 28 August 2012, 09:47

Now You will see the GMA( Great Mindless Ape) going on TV like every week to brag and talk nonsense and defend that USELESS Syrian regime. Cockroach!!!! Captured at 22 Just for being a LF Fighter an released after 27 years.. Poor guy! Welcome Home

Missing maroun 28 August 2012, 10:37

hassan is only interested in the orders he receive from his masters in Syria and Iran..he is no resistance.just a bunch of thugs and criminals

Default-user-icon Wadih (Guest) 28 August 2012, 10:44

This Guy asked ti stay anonymous it's a shame that you are not able to respect this. It's a second torture for him after what he face in the Syrian prisons .

Default-user-icon SomeOne (Guest) 28 August 2012, 10:57

Once More, the Great Mindless Ape A.K.A GMA will Shine on TV to Astonish us with his speeches and his defending about the regime that was in a war once with, killing and destroying Lebanon. Shame on every Lebanese person that Follows this nut case. BIG SHAME!

Thumb thepatriot 28 August 2012, 10:58

lol

Default-user-icon NR (Guest) 28 August 2012, 11:28

@arzak-ya-libnan
Hope that the soldiers who were tortured in the syrian jails wont be informed about Aoun's position now. It would be more painful then the actual torture in prisons.

Default-user-icon NR (Guest) 28 August 2012, 11:38

@FT

yes ,it's aoun's job to force the syrian prisons open, or at least to always try on every opportunity ... if he truley cares about those soldiers like he always claims. After all these soldiers are there coz they beleived in him and in a prowerful Lebanon . I m sure this is what he would have done if any of his relatives would have been in Syrians prison.
and if he cannot, at least he should take a powerful stand against it, and not shake the hand of assad and smile like nothing happened.

Thumb Lebanese_Templar 28 August 2012, 12:30

@FM Al general est atteint du syndrome de stockholm. Ana ma bloumkoun la ano into jame3a abadayet bass leh2in ra2is jaben, bikhaf w byelhas sermeyet al nes heli hazamou w bi2elloun aman. Wlik how can you trust a person that betrayed you? The general who graduate as the best student of his class in Saint Cyr School (military school )ya3ne he is supposed to have a very high IQ, how come he broke all the rules of the art of war ( Sun Tzu ) during the war ? Isn't the rule number one of the art of war that WAR IS A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH ? How come he wanted to make a war against an army 100 times more powerful then his ? how come he left his soldiers and walked away? do you call this man a leader ? do you call this man a general in the army ??? how come you are following a betrayer ? I prefer to follow somoene who made mistakes and crimes and hell yes he did it butttt.. he became mature and more wise and he didn't change his principles and refused to be called COWARD. GOD BLESS LEBANON

Thumb Lebanese_Templar 28 August 2012, 13:54

@FM ""He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign"" SUN TZU

.ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaaaaa, good , good i see that you have some history knowledge but i think that you forgot to mention something in commun between these 3 and which is the interest of their own people and soldiers and not their personal one, plus you have to mention that they were brave and courageous and well prepared and not cowards and have no discipline like AOUN ( i won't say general because he does not deserve the mention). Maybe if he was brave he would have won, but as long as he is a coward, then he shouldn't have made war against syrian.

Default-user-icon TheNOTsowise1 (Guest) 28 August 2012, 14:08

FT, if Aoun didn't believe that their weren't any POWS in Syria, then it would have been more respectful not to make any declarations. Having done so only makes him look like an opportunist.

If I dare to defend M14, they tried to bring this subject up throughout 2005 till 2011, but threats, assassination, May 7, The veto power, closing the parliament, camping downtown......all these methods were used to hinder any chance to de-mark the border with Syria or reach a national consensus to pressure Syria in giving up our POWs.

Lets be frank, no government can operate under such conditions. Other countries have a hard time governing under normal conditions!

Congratulations for M8 for causing a war with Israel to release the Lebanese prisoners in Israel. Shame on them for ignoring the ones in Syria.

Default-user-icon Georges456 (Guest) 28 August 2012, 14:08

FT, if Aoun didn't believe that their weren't any POWS in Syria, then it would have been more respectful not to make any declarations. Having done so only makes him look like an opportunist.

If I dare to defend M14, they tried to bring this subject up throughout 2005 till 2011, but threats, assassination, May 7, The veto power, closing the parliament, camping downtown......all these methods were used to hinder any chance to de-mark the border with Syria or reach a national consensus to pressure Syria in giving up our POWs.

Lets be frank, no government can operate under such conditions. Other countries have a hard time governing under normal conditions!

Congratulations for M8 for causing a war with Israel to release the Lebanese prisoners in Israel. Shame on them for ignoring the ones in Syria.

Default-user-icon George456 (Guest) 28 August 2012, 14:27

FT, if Aoun didn't believe that their weren't any POWS in Syria, then it would have been more respectful not to make any declarations. Having done so only makes him look like an opportunist.

If I dare to defend M14, they tried to bring this subject up throughout 2005 till 2011, but threats, assassination, May 7, The veto power, closing the parliament, camping downtown......all these methods were used to hinder any chance to de-mark the border with Syria or reach a national consensus to pressure Syria in giving up our POWs.

Lets be frank, no government can operate under such conditions. Other countries have a hard time governing under normal conditions!

Congratulations for M8 for causing a war with Israel to release the Lebanese prisoners in Israel. Shame on them for ignoring the ones in Syria.

Thumb kesrweneh 28 August 2012, 14:46

and when Geagea went to Syria the prisoners were al released? and when HArriri gave beirut keys to the Syrians there were no prisonners there?? quit hinding ur head in shit the truth is no one dared to do tackle the issue untill GMA went to Syria and there they assured him there were no more political prisoners their, now if there is a new proof it will be a new occasion to ask for those still held their

Thumb thepatriot 28 August 2012, 15:20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqcH5z83mio

Thumb thepatriot 28 August 2012, 16:10

hahaha...
yes it is everyone's responsability ya FT... but your buddy Aoun still said what he said... :)

Thumb thepatriot 28 August 2012, 16:08

http://www.10452lccc.com/aoun%20excerpts/aoun.scandles17.6.09.pdf

Enjoy :)

Missing sergio 28 August 2012, 16:09

@ Arzak besides the multiple accounts Ft has, there is a glitch on the website you do thumbs up immediately thumbs down goes up 4 times. but you know what they are full of hatered a truly brainwashed Aounist. I know Hassouni promises his fighter if they die they will meet all the virgins in Heaven I wonder what Mr. Clown promised them maybe an act in his circus or maybe a free ticket to the circus. it's deffinetly something :)

Thumb Bandoul 28 August 2012, 16:09

Some psuedo wanabe something significant talking about M14 trying to get Lebanese Syrians out of jail while at the same time believing the Syrians are responsible for the assassination of Rafik Harriri...yes yes the Syrians were going to roll out the red carpet for M14 and cooperate with them...but GMA the ally of Syria, he is totally excused from his duties and inability to negotiate with his allies. Double standard hypocrite, what applies to the rest doesn't apply to you eh? Ma3leich, your era of oppression and istibded w'istikrad el 3alam are coming to an end. Have fun while you can...scum of the earth.

Thumb thepatriot 28 August 2012, 16:13

PS: And he should be concerned more than anyone else... you should know better FT instead of rushing on every post trying to defend you beloved orange leader... :) AH! Le culte de la personalite prime avant celui des idees... helas...

Thumb Bandoul 28 August 2012, 16:23

GMA, the unethical, immoral, corrupt, worthless coward who embraces the same regime that chased him into exile with his tail between his legs will never be president. He will go to his grave an old man who never achieved his goal. This gives me great comfort and satisfaction.

Thumb Bandoul 28 August 2012, 20:33

brother the1phoenix, I am a fellow LF'er under the Bashir Gemayel banner/era, may God rest his soul. However, by the grace of the almighty my father shipped me, literaly like a parcel, to the USA in August 1981. I completely did not witness the assassination of Bachir and obliteration of our collective dreams for the FREE/UNIFIED 10452 km/sq nor did I witness GMA's 7arb el elgha2, thank God. It would not surprise me one bit which bed a politician will lay in to achieve his/her personal goals. But I do know that GMA is a disgraceful, fanatical, obsessive and narcissistic coward who will sacrifice anything for the throne in B3abda. He suffers from an inferiority complex only the throne can satiate and will never ever ever see it :)

Thumb tfeh 28 August 2012, 16:27

very interesting.
No War for Israel in Syria and Iran !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UXH84LE8Js

Thumb tfeh 28 August 2012, 16:29

I hope all prisoners in syria & israel, christians & muslims to be released.
Walla haram.

Thumb eli-g 28 August 2012, 16:54

Now that the truth is out and we know that the syrians are keeping Lebanese prisoners and not telling the truth, what will Aoun do and say.
Now that the syrians were caught trying to plant bombs in Lebanon what will Aoun do and say.Its a PR nightmare for them.Spinning this wil be hard.

Missing sergio 28 August 2012, 17:06

Patriot thank you for sharing the link, through that link led me to so many other numerous sites that unveiling the truth of Aoun the clown.

Thumb Bandoul 28 August 2012, 20:18

@the1phoenix, do you really pay attention to the thumbs up/down? FT and his many alias spends the entire day rigging these things to make his fantasy, that his point of view is shared by many, come true. Please brother, don't bother with this theater piece. Say what you have to say and ignore the rest.

Thumb thepatriot 28 August 2012, 21:05

My pleasure dear friends, it's always a treat to peel the orange...

Default-user-icon Zincoshine (Guest) 28 August 2012, 21:20

flamethrower and jabalamal are the reason why lebanon will NEVER have peace. just get out of the country and watch this endless civil war in lebanon continue until 20000 A.D. Nothing has changed in 140 years (except the exodus of the lebanese jews) and nothing will ever change.

Thumb thepatriot 29 August 2012, 16:03

HAHAHAHAHA... I thought your beloved general wanted to join the LF and Kataeb ya FT... LOL

Congrats to the idiot who goes through the pain of creating 7 profiles just to thumb down... boy you must be desperate! :)