Yesterday, Monday, the Military Court in Lebanon issued sentences of imprisonment against 3 Lebanese convicted of dealing and normalizing ties with "Israel”.

The Lebanese Military Court headed by Brigadier General Mounir Shehadeh handed prison terms Monday to three people after they were convicted of dealing and normalizing with “Israel”, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Jamal Ahmed Rifi, a doctor residing in Australia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia for the crime of “normalization with Israel."

The Court also ordered Amin Muhammad Mari Baydoun, who holds US citizenship, to serve five years behind bars for the crime of dealing with the Israeli occupation, knowing that the Lebanese authorities had arrested Baydoun at Beirut airport in June.

The third verdict was a two-year term against Mark Charbel Tanios who was convicted of communicating with the Israeli occupation and exchanging emails with it.

After the sentence against his brother was announced, former Lebanese Minister of Justice, former Director-General of Internal Security Ashraf Rifi accused the court of being "politicized."

He described the court on Twitter as "authoritarian”, adding that his brother was a "fighter for Palestine, and he did not trade in it as your opposition does.” 

Rifi's accusations and targeting of the military court were met with denouncing popular reactions, and activists demanded Rifi on Twitter to hand his brother over to the Military Court.