Joint Statement

Standing Strong Against Defamation: Defending Public Interest  

With the objective of instilling a culture of impunity and deceiving citizens as financial, administrative, and judicial appointments as well as municipal and parliamentary elections approach, some bankers and their powerful allies are leading a systematic campaign that seeks to invert narratives, falsify facts, and flood public opinion with misleading news and conspiracy theories. These parties fund media tools to defame and intimidate investigative journalists, independent media outlets, and reform organizations. These campaigns, some of which amount to moral assassination, are designed to protect the criminals involved in this age’s financial crime: Lebanon's financial collapse. 

In light of these developments, we have gathered to emphasize our rejection of these overt attempts and to warn of their serious repercussions on media freedom, journalists' right to access and disseminate information, and the Lebanese people's right to know the truth. In the face of this reality, we emphasize the following:

First, the danger of political financial resources on the media in the absence of any state oversight 

Political and banking financial powers pose an increasing threat to the media in Lebanon, as some media outlets are becoming propaganda tools that spread lies and promote fabricated narratives with the aim of misleading the public opinion and falsifying facts contrary to professional principles. In some cases, this falsification almost amounts to moral assassination. This occurs in the absence of any interference of the National Audiovisual Media Council, which has the primary responsibility to monitor the performance of these outlets and prevent the abuse of their license privilege. 

In its decision issued on December 5, 2024, the State Shura Council held the state responsible for its failure to exercise its responsibility in this regard and that the mandate of the members of the National Media Council expired in 2008, without appointing replacements. 

Second, warning against the danger of media pressure on the judiciary with the objective of turning the latter t into a repressive tool 

While recognizing the right to litigation and recourse to the judiciary, which is empowered to deter abuse and arbitrariness, what surprises us is that reports and complaints against reformist parties and alternative media outlets have become an integral part of media campaigns and incitement aimed against them, while some media outlets, funded by banking mafias, are used to bully and attack any judge that issues decisions that go against the mafia’s interests.     

While the media exaggeration paid for by these mafias have played their role in confusing the judicial authorities and their ability to hold financial violations accountable to a great extent, what we fear most today is that with the popularity of these reports and complaints, these mafias will move from defense to offense in the direction of transforming the judiciary from an accountable judiciary to a repressive tool to impose their narrative and suppress any opposition to it.

Third, the concentrated attack on reformist institutions targets the sovereignty of the state

We emphasize that the campaigns focused on reformist institutions are aimed at stripping society of the means of change and reform, and at keeping the state as is, prey to hegemonic mafias and deprived of sovereignty. While these campaigns clearly reflect these mafias' attitude toward the state and their perception of it, the state's representatives must treat these campaigns with the same clarity, i.e., as an attack against them first and reveal to the public the truth of what they are hiding. A clear and focused attack on the state is not met with shyness or half-words, but with the same clarity and with all possible force. 

Based on the aforementioned, we declare the following: 

1- We call on the political authorities, primarily the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, to address these suspicious campaigns, not only as campaigns targeting the rights and freedoms of citizens, but also as attacks targeting, first and foremost, the chances of reforming the state and consolidating its sovereignty, with all that this entails in terms of transparent disclosure to public opinion and activating its role in monitoring all media outlets.   

2- We also call on the public authorities to complete the promised institutional reforms in the field of media regulation and the judiciary, in preparation for holding those responsible for financial crimes accountable and, most importantly, dismantling the

conflict of interest networks in order to restore the rights of those who were subjected to the greatest looting in our modern history.

3- We call on the Court of Cassation and other prosecutors and judicial bodies to confront the approach that some bankers and their powerful allies are trying to impose, by rejecting politicized security and judicial summonses, and moving seriously to prosecute those involved in financial crimes.

We are confident that the Lebanese people are too conscious to be swayed by misinformation and disinformation campaigns, and these intimidating attempts will not deter us in any way from our ongoing battle to achieve justice, expose those responsible for financial crimes, and most importantly, build a capable and just state.

Signatories:

Members of the Parliament: 

·        Ibrahim Mneimneh 

·        Paula Yacoubian 

·        Marc Daou 

·        Melhem Khalaf

·        Yassine Yassine 

·        Firas Hamdan 

·        Charbel Massaad 

·        Najat Saliba 

·        Michel Douaihi 

·        Halima Qaakour

Media Outlets and Journalism Coalitions: 

·        The Alternative Press Syndicate, Al Modon, Daraj Media, Sawt Al Chaab Radio, Raseef 22,  Lubnan Wal Alam, Sifr Magazine, Naked Media, Sharika Wa Laken, Sniper News, Manateq Net. 

Human Rights Associations and Civil Organizations: 

·        Depositor’s Union, Legal Agenda, Kulluna Irada,  The Lebanese Association for Taxpayers’ Rights (ALDIC), The Policy Initiative,  Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE), SEEDS For Legal Initiatives, The Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH),  Frontiers Rights, Media Association for Peace (MAP),  منظمة إعلام للسلام (MAP), Reform,  FEMALE,  SMEX, Gherbal Initiative, ALEF - Act for Human Rights.

·      Political Parties and Diaspora Coalitions: 

·      The Lebanese Diaspora Network , Team Hope, Taqaddom , Change Movement in the South, Watani Coalition, Mada Network, Madinati, Amd Lebanon: Land. Society. State, Lihaqqi, Qudurat, Popular Observatory, Usus Movement, Relebanon, Dearborn Blog, Livionia Salon.