December 17, 2024
By Nasser Kandil
• The forces defending media freedom waged a united battle to protect the resistance and its supporters. This struggle exposed the hypocrisy of many who falsely claim to champion freedom, as they hesitated to show solidarity due to differing political stances. Their facade of freedom crumbled at the first challenge, revealing it as a mere lie.
• A judicial order was issued for the detention of activists Sahar Ghaddar, Ghina Ghandour, and Evelyn Mehaws by the Cybercrime Bureau, in response to a lawsuit filed against them by MTV Lebanon. The lawsuit centered on tweets by the activists that documented the channel’s coverage during the Israeli war, which openly incited bombings in Lebanese areas, shed the blood of resistance supporters, displaced civilians, targeted healthcare institutions, and justified airstrikes on residential areas by falsely claiming they were weapons and ammunition depots.
• Substantively, none of the activists published anything unverified. Legally, accountability in such matters should not be handled by a security bureau but rather by the Publications Court, as emphasized in a statement by Randala Jabbour, President of the Syndicate of Workers in Audiovisual Media Institutions.
• The journalists and activists who promptly rallied outside the Cybercrime Bureau, demanding the release of the detained activists and media figures, acted rightly. Similarly, MP Ibrahim Al-Moussawi, as head of the Parliamentary Media and Communications Committee, played a crucial role by taking up the case, engaging with the relevant authorities, and legally clarifying the activists’ right to freedom. His efforts ensured the case was transferred to the Publications Court.
• The case concluded with the activists’ release. MTV Lebanon, however, learned a lesson about freedom, having grossly misused it during one of the most perilous moments, siding with the gravest of enemies against the homeland, its people, and the resistance. If justice were served properly, it is the channel that should have faced prosecution for its crimes against the nation and freedom itself.
• Congratulations to the activists for regaining their freedom, to the judiciary for upholding integrity, and to the Lebanese people for achieving justice.
