Who said the era of militia’s has long vanished?
by: Abbas Saleh/ Editor - Nahar newspaper on 11/27/2002 (Translation)
“10 armed men kidnapped me, because they thought I mocked them”.
For four days I did not enjoy a good night sleep.
For four days I can only hear blood boiling in my veins, I felt its warmth and rage in my head and my extremities.

Our pride is so dear, nothing, such as the thought of oppression or can sweet words replaces it. For four days I have asked God myself, and all those around me – What did I do? I became so obsessed, pacing myself back and forth. What did I do? I have not found an answer to the explosive pain raging inside of me. What crime did I commit, for 10 heavy armed men to point their loaded guns to my head and to my chest in a state of readiness to aim and shoot at me with no hesitation? They proceeded to beat me with the back of their guns, hands, and feet. Until I fell to the ground, they dragged me from my head to one their parked cars in the middle of a major road, behind it, a line of cars and pedestrians awaiting and watching this civilized scene and for the free violence scenes in Lebanon, 2002. Meanwhile, the female onlookers were shouting, “Have mercy on him – he is almost dead”. To no avail, these women’s appeal went unheard, because these victorious armed men remained in their place and their cars stood still in the middle of the street, leaving behind a big traffic jam, awaiting for the security officer, whom I called for on my cellular phone to let him know I was being kidnapped near the B.H.V boutique, to arrive with his unit to arrest them alongside with me. The security officer did not show up, nor did the patrol unit, which the lieutenant promised me. These armed men took off with me after they pushed me inside the car in an uncomfortable position, stepping on me and pointing their guns at my back to the lower level of the public park across from the Marriott hotel. There, I was dragged out of the car by the same method they pushed me in, kicking me with their feet, swinging at me with the butts of their machine guns to a room at the lower level of a public park (supposedly a park for leisure not as an underground detention to interrogate people). This was not a fantasy; it was actually reality itself that took place around 2 PM on Thursday afternoon.

The room was empty except for a lonely chair, Ahmed Mcheek; a member of Hizbullah Security Council sat on it. This man was well known among official security agencies and among certain journalists in the country. Signs of relief came to me when I found myself facing a man that I have known before, and supposedly he should know me too. And I became like someone who found himself amongst men who only knew the language of force and violence, despite the grinning on Ahmed’s face starring at me with mean looks without uttering a word.

For a moment I thought he was upset at his men and angry at the wicked way they treated me, and he does not know how he would apologize to me and put me at ease, the thing that encouraged me to pose a question at him inquiring whether if he recognized, as he shook his head no, I began to introduce myself to him, reminding him that we have met several times before, the last one was at a government office at a relative of mine and a friend of his. When I realized that he did not care, I took it upon myself to initiate what I came here for. I asked him about the crime that I commit to deserve all the maltreatment, he responded briefly: “You Have Insulted”

This is the conversation with Ahmed; I started it by telling him exactly what happened.

On a Thursday afternoon around 2 PM as I was stepping out my car which I parked near a sea of other parked cars near BHV boutique, a BMW stopped adjacent to my car, the bearded driver of the BMW said to me: “Be aware, the security forces are planning to tow all the cars parked in this area” I took his words as someone who is trying to forewarn me, I thanked him for his kind gesture, something most drivers often do in situations like this, and indeed I decided to move my car to a different parking spot. But the bearded man as it appears, interpreted my reluctance to get into my car fast enough as a provocation intended toward him and as a sign of carelessness to his advice, where he was quick to address me in a very mean way: “Hurry up and move it, or else!!!!! ” I looked at him surprised at the way he was talking to me, saying to myself: “ What is the matter with this guy addressing in this tone of voice?, What business of his being interested in traffic matters, he is just a bearded civilian in a civilian car? And why is he still in the middle of the street causing traffic jam, behind him lines of honking cars awaiting him? And why of all people he chose me to forewarn me about the tow truck, even though plenty of other cars parked in this area. Before I reached an answer to my own questions or even utter a word, the man angrily said to me: “did you just insult me”, “who are you? And why would I insult you? Do you know? And why the sudden interest in my car specifically? You have advised me and I thanked you for your advice, so God be with you, the least you could do is to let the traffic behind you go, you are the one who is breaking the law, not me.

Obviously my words added to his rage, he grabbed his cell phone to make a call uttering: “ I will show you who I am, and you will learn how to speak me with respect.”. He turned to his phone to tell the person at the other end: ”hajj, send me ten of your armed men here, I have a catch!!!”. I was outraged with his phone call, I went to him to say: “My Dear, it is obvious that you still live in a fantasy, you should know that the era of militias and armed men has been long over (sadly I thought so) and you should get rid of these fantasies of yours, and the language that you address people with, to realize the new reality and accept it as is, he said “if you are a man, wait for me”

I remained in my place; I called a security officer friend of mine to tell him about the “latest joke”. As soon as the security officer answered me, two vehicles; Van, a Range Rover followed by the same BMW packed with more than 10 armed men with guns sticking out of their vehicles, were heading toward me. I informed the security officer that I was with on the cell phone of an attempt to kidnap me on the hands members of an unknown militia. The security officer assured me that within minutes, an emergent patrol unit would be sent my way. These armed men must have overheard part of my phone conversation with the security officer, so they quickly dispatched me, shouting “ We will wait also for the patrol unit so we can detain them with you.”

As I was telling the story to Ahmed Mcheek where he must have interrupted more than ten times, that he is not willing to listen to it. Ahmed enforced this by saying: “You have insulted us, and who ever insult us has to pay dearly”.

I found myself obliged to prove to him that I am not particularly fond of insulting people, and it is not part of moral upbringing, even if this has to happen, it does not deserve this theatrical.. I said to Ahmed: “Of course the one who told you about the incident is the same person who assaulted me. Consequently, that person turned our dispute to a political motive rather than a personal one, so he would gain your sympathy. I would like to assure you that why would I insult a party or a group before I even know the political affiliated of the man that I am in dispute with? Sir, You can ask him whether he introduced himself to me before or if he made his affiliation to me known. Believe me, I did not know I was in the hands or dealing with Hizbullah until I first saw you. Ahmed replied, “Are you trying to convince me that the man is lying”, “of course not, this does not require an interpretation.”.

Ahmed interrupted me saying: “Shut up, he is a party member and his shoe is more credible than you and thousands of Lebanese”.

“His party affiliation does not make him flawless, and we all make mistakes”

“We do not make mistakes”

“Why do you persist of involving your party and yourself in this, Haven’t you read in the Quran: which means: (someone can help with the translation here).

“Don’t be a smart alek, he is not the bad one, and you are”

“ Ok, as long as you convicted before listening to me, and you do not seem you want do that, why all the insults then, do what you think is right”

“Of course, I will do what is right, it is out of my hand from here on”

Ahmed left the room with some of his men, where later some of his men came back to unleash on me their worst beating. They kept kicking until I fell on the floor, stepping on me with their feet, then they all left. While I was on the ground, I took advantage of my cell phone to place a call to the proper authorities. Mr. Mcheek’s cell phone was ringing non-stop. About an hour later or so, Mr Mcheek returned to the room where I was detained, to tell me in a calmer and subdued tone: “Hizbullah’s supporters are planning to throw a Ramadan Breakfast (Iftar) this evening at this park, and it has been said that the Secretary General of Hizbullah is planning to attend, that is why our men were working diligently to move all the cars at an early time of the day from the park, as a precautionary measure to protect the safety of the Secretary, and you left your car near the park, therefore a misunderstanding took place, and that is all.

- Very good, but why did the gentlemen not say so, and I would have, for sure, acted and removed the car with the utmost respect, not for him, but for the individual whom he represents.

- This is what has happened, and probably the guys mistreated you. We do not discuss the past.

- On what basis?

- On the basis of what is gone is gone..

Well, I did not lie to you and I am still under your control and you are well able to avenge me now, for so that when I leave here, I am going to the Prosecutor General or to the police so, that I can press charges on the basis of kidnapping, withholding of my rights, beating and violating me, right before I go the hospital (shaking his head). Are you able to stand against the “Sayyed”, in a judicial case against “Hizbullah”?

Who said I was going to press charges against “Hizbullah”? I will press charges against certain well-known individuals. They hid me for more than 2 hours and a half and I was beaten and violated. Is there not in this country, governmental agencies, a Judiciary, and a government???

(Here, Msheek, became angry again) Look, we are the government, and we are the governmental agencies, and if there is a person to criticize us, he will be stepped on, so how can a person try to stand in our faces?????

- Please understand me, those trouble makers (the 10 guys), through their actions cause problems for the “hizb” (party) before anyone else does, whatever it may be, and your ugly actions affects the trust in the party that they belong to and affects it’s image and does not help the party’s combative path. I believe, the smart individuals in the party look upon these actions as nails in the coffin in the line of this political stance.

Most importantly, is that they released me at 4:30 PM and I went directly to the police station where I executed my duty. Until the judiciary may say it’s word in this case, there remains a lot of hanging and open questions, directed in many directions, not only directed primarily to the Minister of the Interior and Municipalities, which is supposedly upon him to answer big and heavy questions, which I predict will disturb the majority of the Lebanese, and he is not far away from it: Where is the security, your Excellency? Who protects the little poor citizens from accusations and fabrications from evil elements, overshadowed by informal armed apparatuses, which parallel, which have found chances to release their complexes with all types of weapons and they frighten people, and kidnap all those who they don’t like in the open and take them to private underground jails, with the least of their rights or legal summons and they encroach on the peoples dignity/pride as they please, far from any formal accountability or scrutiny.

Who protects us unarmed civilians from those human wolves amongst us with their weaponry and arms?? Who are those who consider the shoes of those who belong to their party above all suspicion and most truthful than any other human?

Tell us, for God’s sake, your Excellency, who is the real ruler of our beloved republic??? Is it true what they told me? We demand to know the truth from you even if it is bitter and dark, therefore at least.