In solidarity with journalists who have been threatened and accused of treason, several opposition MPs emphasized on Thursday the importance of respecting public and media freedoms during wartime, condemning the culture of impunity prevailing in the country.
During a press conference, MP Marwan Hamadeh of the Democratic Gathering Bloc, led by the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), along with lawyer Majd Harb announced that several judicial reports will be filed against those who continue to threaten public and press freedoms.
“We have remained silent for over a year in the face of threats, but that is no longer possible. It is the judiciary's duty to protect us,” Harb stated, adding that “judicial reports will be submitted” against those responsible for the slandering campaigns and accusations of treason.
He specifically referenced recent attacks against local channel MTV, Lebanese newspaper “Al-Joumhouria,” as well as journalists Marcel Ghanem and Mariam Majdoline Laham.
Harb further noted that "more than 15 prominent figures were killed between 2005 and 2024 without anyone being arrested, even though the perpetrators are known," in an implicit allusion to Hezbollah which was indicted for the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.
For his part, Lebanese Forces (LF) MP Georges Okaiss declared, "Selective justice is the worst form of justice. It’s not justice at all." He lamented the impunity and the judiciary's failure to investigate the 2020 Beirut port explosion and the assassinations of various figures, including former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. Okaiss called on the Higher Judicial Council and the Public Prosecution to “address this situation and work to restore balance within the judiciary.”
Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel affirmed that “for over a year, we have voiced our opposition to war in Lebanon.” Without naming Hezbollah directly, he accused the militia of “destroying the country’s institutions over the past 20 years.” He urged the Lebanese people “to free themselves from the grip of this authority” and “overcome their fear to save the country and its judicial system.”
Comments