By
Van Meguerditchian
BEIRUT:
The absence of a strong state and increasingly fiery political rhetoric have
negatively influenced freedom of the press in Lebanon, as a wave of attacks
against journalists in the past several years has gone largely ignored by the
government, experts warn.
At
least 62 journalists were attacked by individuals not belonging to the state-run
police institutions in the year 2011 alone, the executive director of the media
watchdog Samir Kassir Eyes Foundation Ayman Mhanna said Tuesday.
Escalating
political tension between March 14 and March 8 coalitions has resulted in
journalists being defined solely by the publication or television channel they
belong to.
“Some
journalists have started refraining from using the name of their outlet while
on field work for fear of possible attacks against them, in a certain area
where the outlet is not welcomed by the local residents,” Mhanna told The Daily
Star.
Elias
Aoun, the head of the Journalists Union, said the state is not doing enough to
prevent attacks on journalists.
“The
Journalists Union is not a militia to protect journalists’ safety: The government
should take the safety measures,” said Aoun. “Such acts against journalists are
strongly condemned: They are uncivilized and inhumane actions,” he added.
During
demonstrations in Tripoli and Beirut last year in response to the nomination of
a Hezbollah-backed candidate to replace then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri,
National News Agency photographer Mohammad al-Saheli was attacked by protesters
and stones were thrown at the crew of local television channel NBN, which is
owned by Speaker Nabih Berri.
A
vehicle belonging to Doha-based Al-Jazeera was also attacked and set on fire,
likely as many demonstrators believed the Qatari channel to be sympathetic to
Hezbollah.
No
charges have been pressed against the individuals involved in any of the
assaults.
Earlier
this month, two journalists were beaten in two separate attacks.
Al-Akhbar’s
Afif Diab was beaten in the Bekaa village of Chtaura, and Al-Jadeed’s Ghadi
Francis was beaten in the Metn’s Dhour Shoueir.
Enraged
by Diab’s article against the release from prison of Ziad Homsi, a Bekaa mayor
who served three years for collaboration with Israel, relatives of Homsi
attacked Diab in Chtaura.
Francis
was beaten after a quarrel with a Syrian Social Nationalist Party member in
front of Hotel Centrale in Dhour Shoueir over the weekend.
According
to Francis, the SSNP member was unhappy with a curtain raiser piece she
presented ahead of the SSNP elections.
“I
wasn’t even inside the hotel where the elections were taking place, I was
walking outside when Hussein Hashem grabbed me by the neck and tossed me to the
floor and then kicked me in the stomach,” Francis told The Daily Star Tuesday.
“Hashem
was armed and is a member of the SSNP,” she said.
A
correspondent for Al-Akhbar, Firas al-Shoufi was also punched by Hashem, while
he tried to protect Francis. The SSNP has apologized to Al-Jadeed for the
attack. Francis has filed a lawsuit against Hashem and the judiciary is likely
to hear its testimonies later this week.
Skeyes’
Mhanna says there has been no judicial follow-up on most of the attacks against
journalists in the past several years. “This is mainly because the judiciary
and the Internal Security Forces are waiting for permission from political
parties to take action,” said Mhanna.
Mhanna called for a
judicial initiative to put an end to this phenomenon. “There should be a
judicial precedent to end all such attacks and end the impunity of the
attackers.”
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jun-13/176658-attacks-on-journalists-threaten-free-press.ashx#axzz1xaZDFUkH
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