Activists Freed, but Lebanon on Edge

Tensions remained high in Lebanon on Tuesday despite the release from detention of about 50 activists, with leaders across the political spectrum accusing President Emile Lahoud of trying to militarize society and stifle Christian opposition to Syrian influence by staging mass arrests.

With hundreds taken into custody during the last two weeks and a new law passed making it easier to detain citizens without filing charges, some political leaders say Lebanon is at a crossroads, with one path leading toward a police state and the other a more pluralistic, relatively democratic society.

“There are many signs indicating that authorities are working to set the stage for a security-intelligence project that entirely contradicts a civilian state, democracy and sovereignty of law,” said a statement issued after a recent conference in Beirut that brought together Christians, Druze and moderate Muslims.

With pressure building from within and abroad--Pope John Paul II has signaled his concern over the government crackdown--military authorities Tuesday released about 50 activists arrested for allegedly promoting disunity by opposing Syria’s dominance over Lebanon since Lebanon’s civil war ended in 1991.

Though Syria recently withdrew its troops from Beirut, it still has tens of thousands of soldiers in the Bekaa Valley and maintains its role as the main power broker in Lebanese affairs.

Political analysts said the events highlight two key struggles central to the short- and long-term future of Lebanon.

On the surface, the fight pits Lahoud, who seeks stability and economic gain through a strong hand, against Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who believes investment must be preceded by a more open and democratic society. The constitution gives the prime minister more authority, but it is Lahoud who has the backing of Syria.

At the same time, analysts say, Lebanon’s traditionally fractured society has become increasingly united in the view that the country’s dire economic situation--nearly $30 billion of debt, high unemployment and an exodus of young people--will improve only if Syria’s influence is limited. Lebanon remains a proxy battlefield for Syria’s fight with Israel over the Jewish state’s occupation since 1967 of the Golan Heights.

“There is now really an emerging consensus among Christians and Muslims in Lebanon on fundamental issues,” said Farid Khazen, chairman of the department of political studies and public administration at American University in Beirut. “The Lebanese differ on the way of achieving it, but everyone is saying the same thing: After 10 years, this order has not delivered anything politically or economically. I am talking about Syrian-dominated Lebanon.”

The current conflict began after a visit Aug. 3 by a Maronite Christian patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Peter Sfeir, to the Chouf Mountains. The area was the site of bloody battles during the lengthy civil war between Christians and Druze, who are a minority Muslim sect.

During the patriarch’s visit to the Druze community--which suggested a rapprochement that promised to alter the political landscape in Lebanon--many in the crowd shouted anti-Syrian slogans.

The arrests began several days later, with more than 125 Christian activists taken into custody. Most of those detained were affiliated with either the disbanded Lebanese Forces or with exiled Gen. Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian who waged a two-year battle against Syrian forces in Lebanon before fleeing in 1990.

When protesters turned up outside the courthouse in Beirut to rally against the roundups, they were beaten and arrested by plainclothes police officers.

Even Lahoud’s office was forced to condemn the way the police behaved in that case, though it did not retreat from the overall goal of the government’s campaign. The army and the president’s office said the initial arrests were “to block attempts by Israel to destabilize Lebanon.”

“The uproar was huge because of the big number of people arrested, but talk about violation of freedom [is] unfounded,” Lahoud’s press aide, Rafik Shalala, said in an interview this week.

As the arrests were taking place, Lahoud’s office persuaded parliament to pass a law--which lawmakers previously had rejected--that allows prosecutors to detain people for up to four days without filing charges. Prosecutors are generally loyal to the president.

“In a country like Lebanon, we need time to conduct investigations,” Shalala said. “We are not Europe, and in a particular security situation we are facing where there are still remnants of the war, four days is not a big deal.”

On Tuesday, authorities announced that Lahoud had met with Cardinal Sfeir and was scheduled to meet Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.

Though Syria has tried to keep a low profile during this conflict, it announced its “absolute” support for Lahoud after the arrests. Hariri, whose office complained that he was told nothing before the arrests took place, made a trip to Syria to air his concerns with President Bashar Assad.

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Ranwa Yehia in The Times’ Cairo Bureau contributed to this report.