Placing the cornerstone of the exemplary Military Prison in Rihaniye with the presence of the Armed Forces Commander
Under the patronage and attendance of the Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun, the Military Police organized a ceremony at its headquarters in Rihaniye where the cornerstone for the project of the “exemplary Military Police Prison”, with the presence of the ICRC and the Head of the Lebanese University in addition to the EU Ambassador and the government commissioner before the military court as several officers.
General Aoun delivered a speech on the occasion in which he stated: “based on the Military Institution’s commitment to international human rights standards, we launched in last January the Code of Conduct for law enforcement as part of the actions taken by the Directorate of international humanitarian law and human rights.”
The Armed Forces Commander expressed his appreciation to the local and international parties for their trust in the military institution and their cooperation, particularly the ICRC that is keeping abreast of the LAF in a way shed light on the humanitarian values amidst all challenges: “With the achievement of this important step, the journey of humanitarian commitment in our army takes a new leap forward and our professional military conduct is enhanced, in this one of a kind step emanating from national and humanitarian commitment that you have always been accustomed to in your army, in a country where the issues of prisons and Human Rights are a major conundrum.”
General Aoun added that the LAF soldiers “shall forever endeavor to perform the sacred missions that they are entrusted with to defend the country with honor and persistence without turning their heads to small details or being distracted with the deadly sins. They were and forever will remain the guardians of our history and future.”
“The LAF is the guardian of democracy and protector of the constitution. It has always strived to present itself as a model to be taken in terms of the nation and its institutions. We have enough eagerness to perform our assigned missions. No rumors or campaigns of false incrimination shall hold us back from going through with the journey of honor, sacrifice and royalty, armed with the love and trust of our people.”
The Commander of the Military Police Brigadier General P.S.C Nabil Abdallah then delivered a speech in which he explained the difficulties that the military prisons are facing and stressed the importance of updating the laws that organize their work in a way to comply with the accelerating social changes: “The model prison building that is launched today is an embodiment of the future Army Command vision that has come as a result of long efforts in studies and amendments to be compliant with the security, logistic and legal requirements as well as defined detention location standards.” And stated that “In parallel with building a new prison, we have worked on enhancing the capabilities of the prison staff through the rehabilitation and training of officers, NCOs and soldiers that have gone through training courses under the supervision of a specialized British training team.”
