The judicial system comprises civilian courts, a military court, and a judicial council. International standards of criminal procedure are not observed in the military court, which consists largely of military officers with no legal training. The average case is tried in minutes. Extragovernmental groups, such as the Israeli-backed SLA, Palestinian factions, and Hezbollah, detain suspects and administer justice in areas under their control, generally without due process safeguards. Arbitrary arrest and detention are commonplace.
Security forces use torture to extract confessions.
Prison conditions do not meet international standards. After the SLA withdrew from the south Lebanese town of Jezzin, handing it over to Lebanese control, a Lebanese military court sentenced several of the 200 militiamen who declined to join in the pullback to prison terms of six months to two years. The government has not abated its crackdown on independent broadcasting, which flourished during the civil war. In 1998, a government decree banned two of the country s four satellite television stations from broadcasting news or political programming. Fifty-two television stations and 124 radio stations have been closed.