Beirut Bar Association undermines freedom, summons Legal Agenda director for criticizing new regulation

The Beirut Bar Association has called lawyer and Legal Agenda executive director Nizar Saghieh to a disciplinary hearing for opposing and denouncing the requirement for lawyers to obtain prior authorization before speaking with the media.  

On March 3, the Council of the Beirut Bar Association issued a decision to amend Articles 39 to 42 of Chapter Six of the Lawyers' Code of Ethics, which regulate the lawyers' relationships with media outlets, and stipulate the need for lawyers to obtain prior permission from the head of the Bar Association to participate in legal seminars, conferences, interviews, and discussions with media outlets, including social media platforms, and websites, the Coalition to Defend Freedom of Expression said.  

In a tweet, Saghieh said that the dignity of the Association is achieved by reverting from mistakes and not indulging in it, adding that "the association's amendments not only included subjecting freedom to prior authorization, but also prohibited criticism of the president and members as well."  

In another tweet, he thanked those who stood in solidarity with freedom and justice, saying that every word is a strong warning in the face of the authority that "destroyed our society and charges for more destruction, and at the same time they are mirrors that reflect their true faces without masks." 

In a statement, the Alternative Press Syndicate criticized the attempts by the authorities and its proxies to restrict freedom of the press and freedom of expression, resorting to intimidating and repressive methods through several methods.    

This statement was in conjunction with the summoning of Lara Bitar, editor-in-chief of the "Public Source" website, and Jean Kassir from "Megaphone," and the victory achieved by solidarity with journalists and activists by nullifying the security investigations against journalists and raising the voice against the "militia" methods used to intimidate their colleagues.   

The Alternative Press Syndicate also said that lawyer Nizar Saghieh is being subjected to a smear campaign and an attempt to damage his image by spreading rumors on social media, coinciding with attempts by the Bar Association to prevent him from conducting a press interview on "Sawt El Shaab" radio station, which the radio refused to submit to, in a pioneering position in defense of freedom of the press.   

"This indicates attempts to silence Saghieh and behind him the "Legal Agenda" and the lawyers who were a primary source for understanding and analyzing legal and human rights information, as well as a support for defending public cases," expressed the syndicate.