Lebanese Army soldiers. (Credit: AFP/File)
BEIRUT — The Permanent Military Court has issued a subpoena against retired Lebanese Army Brig. Gen. George Nader for allegedly wearing a military uniform when no longer serving with the military, Nader told L’Orient Today on Friday. Nader is regularly among groups publicly protesting the financial situation of retired military personnel in the face of the country's ongoing economic collapse.
It’s illegal for non-military personnel to wear the uniform.
Nader denied to L'Orient Today that he wore fatigues after his retirement and insisted that he always “dresses casually.”
The lawsuit document states that Nader has been summoned for questioning for "wearing spotted trousers, military caps, and T-shirts with the army’s emblem" and adds that his "presence in court is required on: 05/26/2023, at 8:00 a.m."
Nader was one of the key figures of the thawra, the weekslong nationwide popular protest movement that began on Oct. 17, 2019.
He is frequently seen attending and leading protests over the deteriorating living conditions experienced by retired army personnel, whose salaries, amid the ongoing economic crisis that unfolded in 2019, are no longer sufficient to meet basic expenses due to soaring price inflation.
“My summoning to court is the facade of the problem; they are trying to quiet me down,” Nader explained to L’Orient Today, noting that he will attend the court hearing.
“I abide by the Lebanese law. I am not [Parliament speaker] Nabih Berri, [MP and ex-minister] Ghazi Zeaiter, [ex-General Security chief] Abbas Ibrahim, or [MP and ex-minister] Ali Hassan Khalil [who have been indicted as part of the port blast investigation and did not attend their court hearings when they were summoned for questioning] to be summoned for questioning and not attend. I am honored to go, for I served my country loyally in the army for 35 years,” he said.
Nader stated that three of his immediate family members “died for this country while protecting it."
"My family and I have sacrificed a lot for this uniform,” he added.
Commenting on his subpoena, Nader said that the authorities are “doing such acts to divert the attention of the public from the real problems facing the country.”
The Lebanese lira has lost more than 90 percent of its value against the dollar over the last four years, plunging more than three-quarters of the Lebanese population below the poverty line.
Meanwhile, in the absence of a president or fully empowered cabinet, reforms needed to help stem the country's economic and financial collapse remain stalled.