Information Minister Ramzi Jreije said that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s summoning of two journalists and two media organizations on charges of contempt is legitimate to a certain extent.
“We cannot be in full solidarity with [Al-Jadeed television and Al-Akhbarnewspaper] because leaking [information] is a significant offense according to the STL’s rules,” Jreije told MTV on Saturday.
Al-Jadeed’s Karma Mohamed Tahsin al-Khayat and the station's parent company New TV S.A.L., along with Al-Akhbareditor-in-chief Ibrahim Mohamed al-Amin and his newspaper's parent company Akhbar Beirut S.A.L., were summoned to appear before the STL on charges of contempt and obstruction of justice, the STL said in a statement issued Thursday.
A number of Lebanese officials expressed their disapproval of this move, and several activists staged a strike in solidarity with the summoned parties.
Formally established on March 1, 2009, the STL has repeatedly been the subject of news reports based on alleged leaks concerning the investigation of the 2005 murder of former Premier Rafiq Hariri.
On January 15, 2013, Al-Akhbar published a list of 17 men it said were witnesses expected to testify before the tribunal.
The STL said after the incident that “publicly identifying individuals as potential STL witnesses may endanger these individuals,” which is why the Tribunal “will not confirm whether the content of the news reports is accurate or not.”
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