It was on the return from her trip to France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden that the well-knownTrad was arrested and kept overnight at the Prison of Foreigners, charged with ´tarnishing the reputation of the State of Lebanon´ and ´founding an illegal organisation´. The Founding Director of the Frontiers Centre, a civil company partnership recognised by the Lebanese authorities and dedicated to the work for marginalised people in Lebanon, including non-Palestinian refugees, had been visiting numerous human rights organisations, among them the Human Rights House in Oslo. In talks with Maria Dahle, the Director of the Oslo House and also Executive Director of the Human Rights House Foundation, she had made it very clear that Lebanon could do with a similar set-up; a house for at least some of the country’s many human rights organisations. Trad recognised that one of the benefits of having a human rights house is the protection it provides for its member organisations. 

No sooner was she back than this need was highlighted once again. Moreover, Trad’s arrest followed the 8 August detention of human rights activist and lawyer Muhammed Moghrabi. On this and prior evidence, Amnesty International concluded that Trad’s arrest was “part of an ongoing pattern of attack by the authorities against sections of the vibrant human rights community in Lebanon”. Neither the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) nor AI could see any other reason for either of the two arrests than the authorities’ wish to silence key human rights activists’ by way of curtailing their right to freedom of expression and association. On the 24th of September, AI called upon Lebanese authorities to stop all acts of harassment and intimidation perpetrated by the General Security against Trad. By then EMHRN had already asked Lebanese authorities to drop the unfounded charges against Trad and release her immediately. EMHRN also took the opportunity to call upon Lebanon to respect international human rights standards, including the UN ‘Human Rights Defenders Declaration’. It also asked the European Union to urgently raise Trad’s situation with the appropriate Lebanese authorities.   

Instant international pressure may have worked. Trad is free and says that she feels sufficiently safe to ask AI to call upon its members not to send any more greetings on her behalf, but instead concentrate their efforts on the other nine cases also covered in the organisation’s holiday card campaign. In her letter to AI USA, Trad asked the organisation to pass on her deep thanks to all who had sent messages of encouragement.