Wave of cases against press continues

Marcel Ghanem, the host of a popular political TV show, appeared in a Baabda court on February 16 to face charges of contempt of court and obstruction of justice. The charges stemmed from a November episode of Ghanem’s show, “Kalam Ennas,” in which Ghanem criticized the Lebanese judiciary and the justice minister. In the show, he had been discussing charges that were filed against two Saudi guests who had criticized the Lebanese president in a previous episode. Ghanem was released after questioning and is awaiting a potential indictment as of this writing. The charges against the TV host are the most recent in a series of cases that have targeted journalists, commentators, and analysts, including the comedian Hicham Haddad and Hanin

Ghaddar, a US-based researcher who was sentenced in absentia to a six-month prison sentence on charges of insulting the army.