Nascent Yemen

On Sunday, The Lebanese Presidency issued a short statement on X urging media outlets “to refrain from targeting any foreign country that maintains friendly ties with Lebanon.” It added: “While freedom of expression is sacred, it must be exercised responsibly, grounded in truth and mindful of public order in a democratic society.”

This vague statement coincided with President Aoun’s scheduled visit to Kuwait and came with no prior indication or explanation of its purpose or intended targets. Still, it functioned as a clear warning that the presidency would not remain passive facing media coverage deemed offensive to so-called “friendly foreign countries”.

Neither journalists nor the public were told who qualifies as a “friendly foreign country.” The statement didn’t clarify whether the list is open-ended, nor did it explain how one might determine whether a critical article constitutes a truthful fact or a mere opinion. Most troubling, however, was the reference to “public order in a democratic society,” a loose phrase that begs serious clarification.

Such a statement would have passed unnoticed, but at Al-Akhbar, we have every reason to take it seriously, particularly given what we’ve been subjected to in recent months and during the Israeli war on Lebanon. At the time, the so-called “friendly foreign countries” launched a fierce campaign against us. These are the very same countries that supported Israel’s aggression on Lebanon and continue to wage a coordinated political and media offensive in service of the enemy’s propaganda machine. The so-called “friends” are none other than western powers led by the US and Arab regimes, chiefly the ruling authorities in the Gulf.

Let there be no doubt: the presidency’s recent statement was aimed directly at Al-Akhbar, even if we were not named explicitly. The message came as a result of pressure from Arab governments that had recently allowed their citizens to travel to Lebanon, but now claim to fear for their safety due to “media attacks” targeting their regimes. Some in Lebanon’s leadership seem to believe the country should stand in ceremonial salute for the arrival of fewer than a dozen Emirati tourists.

What’s happening now compels us to speak out. In recent weeks, lawsuits have been filed against Al-Akhbar, some from known parties, others still unnamed. These lawsuits focus on two main issues: the American University of Beirut and the media and political activities of Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Lebanon.

Like many Lebanese, we expected the political establishment to condemn the sectarian incitement promoted by certain media outlets, and the vile smear campaigns targeting national figures such as the martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Instead, we are witnessing renewed efforts to appease the Saudi-American guardianship.

For the past two decades, these states have poured money into Arab and Lebanese media, cultivating journalists across the region to wage a relentless propaganda war against the resistance and its supporters. Yet their failure to shift public opinion has only driven them to escalate their attacks on the voices that challenge and expose them. Sadly, some Lebanese state institutions are all too eager to serve this agenda.

Those in power and media are well aware of the long and hard-won battle to limit the prosecution of journalists to the Publications Court. This evolved into a widely accepted convention within the media sector: no journalist should appear before any judicial body other than that court. While the law technically allows the Public Prosecutor’s Office to open investigations and determine how to proceed, and while it’s true that the office has previously summoned journalists for initial questioning before referring them to the Publications Court, this current campaign has nothing to do with a routine legal dispute between a media outlet and parties aggrieved by its reporting. What we’re facing is something far more dangerous, something that calls for a much clearer position.

Al-Akhbar’s board and several of its journalists received calls from the Judicial Police’s Central Criminal Investigations Unit, summoning them for interrogation sessions. In some cases, members of the unit visited colleagues at their homes to deliver the summons in accordance with standard legal procedures. However, the tone and manner of these communications was anything but courteous.The language used by the officers echoed a style we know all too well, reminiscent of intelligence agencies operating in mafia-run states, under coup authorities, or regimes installed by foreign occupiers.

The newspaper reached out to relevant authorities to cooperate with the judiciary, guided by belief that these actions are part of a broader campaign of pressure and intimidation. Yet it has become increasingly clear that what we are facing is a renewed attempt to bully us into submission, and to push us into backroom deals in order to silence our voices.

This was confirmed when AUB’s administration called on its faculty to boycott Al-Akhbar, a move so crude and absurd it would be out of place even in the most repressive of authoritarian regimes.

Therefore, it is necessary to state the following:

We reaffirm our refusal to appear before any judicial body other than the Publications Court, with full respect for the judiciary and its members.
We insist on our right to express opinions on all matters of public concern–whether they involve Lebanese citizens, officials, or any resident of Lebanese territory. We will not tailor our coverage to suit the political priorities of those in power.
Attempts to seize control of the media space will not silence those who reject foreign tutelage. The selective interpretations of “freedom” being peddled today are nothing but instruments of repression, and we will resist them by every legal and professional means at our disposal.
We see no value in appealing to the Ministry of Information or to any so-called media unions or industry bodies. We know how and why these entities were formed, and the long-standing efforts of many to silence us.

Al Akhbar report