Lebanon: Pattern of Prosecutions for Free Speech

Expand Lebanese members of parliament attend a parliament discussion in Beirut, Lebanon, October 17, 2017. © 2017 Reuters (Beirut) – A pattern of prosecutions for criticizing officials is threatening freedom of speech and opinion in Lebanon, Human Rights Watch said today. Last week, On January 24, 2018, in the latest such case, the public prosecutor brought defamation charges against a comedy show host, Hisham Haddad, after an episode in which he made jokes relating to Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. Authorities should drop criminal charges for peaceful…

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