Lebanon: Authorities Detain Journalist Mariam Laham After Investigation into Religious Authorities
The Coalition For Women In Journalism expresses deep concern over harassment faced by journalist at the hands of security officers
Location: Lebanon, Beirut
Date: September 6, 2023
Journalist Mariam Laham arrested, detained for 11 hours, during which her home was searched and her laptop was tampered with. The CFWIJ strongly condemns authorities' blatant disregard for the law and calls for an urgent investigation into misconduct of the Internal Security Forces.
On September 6, Laham was summoned and questioned by the Central Department of Criminal Investigations regarding a tweet she posted in July. In the tweet, Laham accuses Judge Mohammad Ahmad Assaf, President of the Sunni Higher Court of Beirut, of accepting a bribe in a case he was handling.
Laham's detention was a result of a claim filed by Assaf, who accused her of slander and defamation.
During her initial detention, a search warrant was issued for Laham's home by the Attorney General when she refused to delete the tweet in question. The Internal Security Forces (ISF) conducted a search to locate her phone. Her laptop was confiscated and tampered with. Authorities allegedly deleted content from her Facebook account. The investigative team also claims to have found drugs in her home.
During the search, Laham's lawyer was prevented from entering the house.
Following her release, Laham spoke out against the violations she experienced during her detention, including the search of her home and confiscation of her house key. She believes she was targeted due to her investigation into religious authorities.
“We’re moving towards a police state”
Activist Paula Rbeiz described the authorities' treatment of Laham as an attack on press freedom, suggesting they harassed her to divert attention from the bribery accusations against the judge. “We're moving towards a police state," Rbeiz added.
The Alternative Press Syndicate criticized the search of Laham's home in the absence of her lawyer, deeming the procedures null and void.
State Institutions Targeting Journalists
Lebanon's Publications Law grants journalists immunity and stipulates that they should only appear before a judicial investigator or the Court of Publications. The president of the Press Editors Syndicate advised Laham against appearing before the Central Criminal Investigation Department, arguing that journalists are only obligated to appear at the Court of Publications.
This law offers protection for journalists, ensuring that they cannot be targeted by security institutions on trumped-up charges to silence their reporting. In recent months, however, there have been several harassment cases against journalists that blatantly violate this protection.
In March, Lara Bitar of The Public Source refused a summons issued by State Security and the Cybercrime Bureau for her outlet's reporting. Journalists and press freedom advocates argued that the cyber security body had no jurisdiction to summon her.
Mariam Laham's case is yet another illustration of state institutions in Lebanon being used to target critical journalists. The Coalition For Women In Journalism calls on authorities to respect the law and protections it affords to press workers.
We also urge the Internal Security Forces to conduct a thorough investigation into the violations against Laham and demand an immediate end to all harassment of the journalist.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.