Family of Dover man held in Lebanon pleads for U.S. government to apply pressure
Relatives say accusations against man aren't true
Relatives say accusations against man aren't true
Relatives say accusations against man aren't true
The family of a Dover man who has been held in Lebanon since September is asking the U.S. government to step up pressure.
Relatives of Amer Fakhoury said he is critically ill, and they're afraid he'll die if he's held any longer.
Fakhoury and his wife own a popular restaurant in Dover, where they thought they would return after a week's vacation in Lebanon. Several months later, their four daughters said they are financially and emotionally drained.
"How is it that our government can't get a sick, innocent man back to his home?" asked, Guila, his oldest daughter. "It's been four months."
Guila described her father's detention as a kidnapping. Officials in Lebanon claimed he mistreated prisoners during an occupation of the country decades ago.
The family called the charges fabricated. Guila said her father is now gravely ill, believed to be a result of his treatment in jail.
"He's lost 60 pounds," she said. "He's not the person you see in the pictures any more. My mom tells me he is skin and bones."
Fakhoury's attorney recently returned from Lebanon and said her client is not getting proper medical treatment.
"We provided all the legal basis for humanitarian release," attorney Celine Atallah said. "We showed them that our client is suffering from stage IV cancer, that there's no legal basis for his arrest, and still they denied it."
"We are drafting sanctions now," said U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. "They would be aimed at individuals who are part of holding him improperly."
Shaheen said she has been working with the State Department, the White House and the family.
"This is someone who is held without charges, who has not been convicted of anything, who is being falsely accused," she said. "He needs to be released, and he needs to be released now."
"There is nothing, no one we can ask for help except the U.S. government," Guila said. "(Lebanon is) a very corrupted country. Everyone's scared for their lives."
Guila said she talks to her father by phone about five minutes each week. She said her mother remained in Lebanon to be near him and feels helpless as she watches his condition deteriorate.