Lebanon's freedom at stake: Amnesty International's #MyOpinionIsNotaCrime campaign calls for urgent reform

In its latest campaign, #MyOpinionIsNotaCrime, Amnesty International urges the Lebanese authorities to immediately stop prosecuting journalists, human rights defenders, activists, and others critical of state officials. 

The campaign seeks to abolish all laws that criminalize insult and defamation, highlighting the dire situation those expressing dissenting views face.

The call comes amidst a disturbing trend of prosecutions targeting individuals critical of Lebanon's political, security, judicial, and religious figures. 

Since 2015, thousands have been subjected to criminal investigations, and recently, journalist Dima Sadek was sentenced to one year in prison and fined LBP 110 million for criticizing a political party on Twitter.

Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Aya Majzoub, condemns archaic criminal laws to silence dissent, emphasizing that such actions stifle freedom of expression and deter citizens from speaking out against influential figures.

The organization has documented a surge in freedom of expression-related investigations and prosecutions following the October 2019 protest movement. 

High-ranking officials are increasingly weaponizing repressive criminal provisions to silence critics, with nine out of ten complaints lodged by such officials.

Among the cases documented, Jean Kassir, a journalist and co-founder of Megaphone, was summoned for interrogation without reason. 

The summons was based on a criminal defamation complaint filed by Lebanon's top public prosecutor, who had been named in the Beirut port explosion case in one of Kassir's posts. 

Similar actions were taken against Lara Bitar, editor-in-chief of the Public Source website, and Gina al-Chammas, president of Lebanon Certified Anti-Corruption Managers.

Amnesty International emphasizes that the officials filing insult and defamation charges use these laws as retaliation, harassment, or intimidation against critics. 

The targeted speech is protected under international human rights law and is vital for transparency and accountability in a society governed by the rule of law.

Lebanon's criminal insult and defamation provisions, carrying up to three-year prison sentences, are incompatible with international law. 

Amnesty International calls for their repeal, advocating for replacing defamation articles with new civil provisions to protect people's reputations without unduly restricting freedom of expression.

The #MyOpinionIsNotaCrime campaign aims to bring attention to Lebanon's urgent need for reform, where citizens' right to voice their opinions freely is under threat and critical views are being stifled through misuse of legal frameworks.