NewTV to be silenced. Judges stand down in case of detained Lebanese rights lawyer

BEIRUT, Aug 20 (AFP) - Three judges who had been due to hear an appeal by detained Lebanese rights lawyer Mohammed Mughrabi against the investigating magistrate's denial of bail have stood down from the case, judicial sources said Wednesday.

The judges from the public prosecutor's office gave no explanation for their decision, although judges only normally stand down from cases when they see a conflict of interest or have been subject to outside interference.

Mughrabi's arrest on August 8 sparked a chorus of condemnation from rights watchdogs around the world.

London-based Amnesty International said it considered his detention to be "arbitrary" and called for his "immediate release as a prisoner of conscience".

"Amnesty International fears that his arrest may be politically motivated and be meant to intimidate him as a human rights defender," the group said in a statement last week.

The 64-year-old Muslim lawyer is accused of "impersonating a lawyer", a charge that carries a maximum three-year jail term, after he continued to practise despite being disbarred in his absence for allegedly bringing the judiciary into disrepute.

Despite his faith, the veteran lawyer has in the past defended members of the Christian opposition before the Lebanese courts.