Lebanon's military prosecutor Judge Jean Fahd charged 79 people, including 16 troops and three army officers, in connection with the bloody riots that left seven opposition supporters dead in Beirut last month. The charges included murder, violation of military instructions, possession of unlicensed arms and causing unrest, setting rubber tires and tossing hand grenades.
According to Naharnet, Fahd charged two officers and 11 soldiers with shooting at demonstrators protesting power cuts as well as the manslaughter of six civilians and the wounding of others. Fahd charged an unidentified assailant with the death of a seventh protester.
The military prosecutor also charged an officer and five soldiers with violating military orders.
Fifty-eight civilians were also charged with causing unrest and attacking soldiers. Judicial sources said the charges carry a maximum sentence of five years with hard labor.
The charges are related to violent riots that left seven people killed in Beirut's southern suburbs on Jan. 27.
