SIDON, Lebanon: The brief arrest of the mayor of a predominantly Christian east Sidon village sparked outrage, with some calling it a religiously motivated act aimed at displacing members of the sect again.
Nicola Andraos, the mayor of Salhieh, was arrested Wednesday by Internal Security Forces members after he prevented a citizen from paving a road leading to land he owns in the village, despite a judicial decision permitting the work.
The move prompted a strong reaction from the local community, forcing Christian municipality heads of the Sidon and Jezzine districts to mobilize.
The officials expressed solidarity with Andraos during an urgent meeting held Thursday at the Salhieh municipality headquarters.
“The conferees denounced the way the judicial police dealt with Salhieh’s mayor, handcuffing him,” Michel Hashem, the mayor of Bramieh, said.
Hashem, who spoke after the meeting on behalf of the attendees, said that the incident was unprecedented and questioned the motive behind his arrest.
The gathered officials agreed that the mayor was acting within the boundaries of the law.
“The conferees hope that Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk and the South’s governor will take measures with security and judicial authorities to ensure the appropriate treatment of all mayors and mukhtars,” Hashem said.
Andraos told The Daily Star that he was apprehended by security forces after he prevented a construction crew from implementing a judicial verdict to open a road for a private property in Salhieh.
The mayor was then arrested and taken to a police station in the predominantly Shiite town of Haret Saida. He was handcuffed upon his own request.
“A decision was issued for my arrest,” Andraos explained. “I refused to be arrested without being handcuffed because of its symbolic significance.” The mayor revealed that he was kept in custody for five hours before being permitted to leave the police station.
“The only person allowed to issue a complaint against a mayor is the interior minister,” Andraous said. The minister, he added, can give permission to question the mayor and prosecute him if needed.
The mayor conceded to arrest in order to “prevent clashes between the ISF and the residents [of Salhieh],” he added.
Most villages to the east of Sidon are Christian and Sidon is a pre-dominantly Muslim city.
The arrest caused a backlash due to previous sensitivities that date back to Lebanon’s Civil War. In spring 1985, Salhieh residents along with tens of other Christian villages were forced into displacement shortly after the Israeli army withdrew from Sidon when clashes erupted between Christian militia, the Lebanese Forces, and leftist and Muslim groups. After the LF defeat, most Christians were forced to leave and could only return after the end of the war.
Andaros’ arrest stirred up still raw memories from the period of Christian displacement.
“In an unprecedented move, Andraos was arrested by ISF members who were following up on the paving of an internal road that did not fit the conditions [for works] set by the municipality,” an LF office statement read.
The statement also reiterated its call for Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk to take action and probe into the incident and into the road project itself.
“Citizens consider the implementation of this road as a disguised displacement project that affects them as well as their livelihoods and lands,” the statement added.
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