Journalist first kidnapped, then tortured by military intelligence services

On August 30, Reporters without Borders (RSF) stated that Rami Aysha, a journalist who had worked for several major international media publications, was kidnapped by armed men in south Beirut who beat him, put a pistol put to his head, broke his camera over his head, and broke his finger. RSF stated that he later was turned over to the military intelligence services, which also reportedly beat him and then transferred him to military police custody, where the mistreatment continued. He was charged with weapons smuggling and held in prison for nearly a month before he was released on September 27. Aysha said that he was reporting on arms trafficking at the time he was detained. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported that Aysha was first captured by Hizbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut, near the airport. The LAF reported that it was investigating the allegations.