EMIL, 2020-07-08
The Elias Moukheiber Institute for Lebanon (EMIL) condemns the anti-constitutional court ruling issued on Saturday, June 27, 2020 by the southern city of Tyre Urgent Matters Judge Mohammad Mazeh. The ruling bans local and international media outlets from covering statements by US Ambassador Dorothy Shea after she criticized Iran-backed Hezbollah in an interview last week. Media channels who violate the decision could be closed down for a year and fined $200,000.
Freedom of expression is a constitutional right which is being breached blatantly at all levels, diplomatic to street, since before the October 17, 2019 uprising. Freedom of the press is at the core of democracy and a beacon of light in Lebanon.
EMIL urges all parties engaged in the breaching of local and international laws to take serious and conscious actions towards respecting the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
