Judge denies ties to cause of Dika's death.

Summary: Judge Rabih al-Husami Tuesday denied any involvement in the issue of transferring Hassan al-Dika, the detainee who died in custody Saturday, after his father accused judges of not approving his transfer to a hospital.

BEIRUT: Judge Rabih al-Husami Tuesday denied any involvement in the issue of transferring Hassan al-Dika, the detainee who died in custody Saturday, after his father accused judges of not approving his transfer to a hospital.

Dika's father, Toufic al-Dika, has accused Husami and First Investigative Judge Nicolas Mansour of refusing to allow his son to be transferred to a hospital while he was in detention.

A statement from the Higher Judicial Council said Husami had "nothing to do" with Dika's transfer, "since transferring a detainee to the hospital and approving a surgery is something not in the power of the [indicting authority]."

Dika, 46, who was detained in November 2018 on drug-related charges, died Saturday after sustaining injuries while being tortured, according to his father. Toufic Dika claimed that the torture had caused his son to suffer a severe back injury and paralysis in his left leg. Dika was taken to hospital on April 2.

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