Beirut, Lebanon – Brigadier General Wassim Fayyad, a judge at Lebanon’s Military Court, approved a request on Wednesday to release Lebanese artist Fadel Chaker. The decision follows the deterioration of his health and his transfer to the military hospital after a health setback last Tuesday—which prevented him from attending his trial hearing—according to his media office and Lebanese media outlets.
The health condition behind the decision
The approval of the release request filed by Shaker’s lawyer came amidst ongoing judicial proceedings, after a health crisis prevented him from attending the latest court hearing.
Developments in the Abra events case
The decision to release him comes within the framework of Fadel Shaker’s trial before Brigadier General Wassim Fayyad, who continues to hear witness testimonies regarding the events of the Abra battle in June 2013. Shaker is accused of joining Ahmed al-Assir’s group, which engaged in armed clashes with the Lebanese Army that resulted in a number of casualties.
Trial postponed to August
The case is witnessing developments described as positive, amid talk of a judicial trend that could lead to Fadel Shaker’s acquittal in some of the pending lawsuits. During its last hearing, the Military Court decided to adjourn Shaker’s trial—which involves four security-related cases linked to the Abra events—until August 5. The court is scheduled to hear further testimony at the next session before moving to the final verdict stage in a subsequent hearing.
