Lebanese Court Sentences Activist to 3 Years in Prison for ‘Collaborating’ with Israel

A military court in Lebanon on Monday handed down a sentence of three years in prison with hard labor to activist Kinda Al-Khatib, who was convicted of “collaborating” with and traveling to Israel, a judicial source said. Al-Khatib, in her 20s, was arrested in June and charged with “collaborating with the enemy,” “entering the occupied Palestinian territories” and “collaborating with spies of the Israeli enemy.” According to local media reports, she had visited Israel by crossing from Jordan. She is active on social media, where she has harshly criticized Hizbullah, as well as Lebanese President Michel Aoun. Protesters, who have demanded her release, say her case is similar to that of Ziad Itani, a Lebanese actor who was accused of collaborating with Israel in 2017, spent four months in prison, and then was released in 2018 after being cleared of all charges. A senior security officer was then charged with “fabricating” the case against Itani.