Cabinet to convene, Lebanon’s ‘human rights problems,’ papal visit confirmed: Everything you need to know to start your Thursday

Want to get the Morning Brief by email? Click here to sign up. 

Cabinet will convene in Baabda this morning with a 29-item agenda. During today’s session, Prime Minister Najib Mikati will present the preliminary agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund. Ministers will also consider a draft law amending the 1956 banking secrecy law and the purposes towards which IMF Special Drawing Rights monies may be put to use. Ministers will also be presented with a technical report on the Beirut port grain silos. Ministers will also consider a proposal under which, a legal source told L’Orient Today, investigative judge Tarek Bitar would be obliged to work alongside a committee of four other judges in some aspects of his investigation into the Beirut port explosion. Bitar’s probe has been marred by lawsuits against the judge by political figures and officials accused in the investigation, who allege he has “politicized” the investigation.

The United States State Department said that Lebanon is experiencing “significant human rights problems” and “serious restrictions on the freedom of expression and the media” in its annual report on human rights published on Tuesday. The report highlighted “serious political interference in the judicial system, serious restrictions on the freedom of expression and the media … severe restrictions on cyber freedom, refoulement of refugees to a country where they would face a threat to their life or freedom," as well as other issues, including serious high-level and widespread corruption and discrimination against people belonging to the queer community. The US government has itself come under criticism from international human rights groups in a number of domains. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch yesterday sent a letter to major political parties asking them to disclose their position on 10 key areas for reform related to justice and accountability, the economic crisis and human rights. Lebanese politicians rarely discuss specific policy objectives during campaign season.

After speculation that no such visit was coming, the Vatican confirmed yesterday that Pope Francis will visit Lebanon in June. President Michel Aoun announced a June visit last week, before the Vatican replied to this announcement the same day saying the trip was still “a possibility under study.” But, the Vatican has now confirmed the visit will take place on June 12 and 13. Pope Francis has been vocal about supporting Lebanon in recent months and has expressed his intention to visit on several occasions. During a visit to Cyprus in December, he said that he was “deeply worried” about the ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon.

Dozens of protesters gathered yesterday in Downtown Beirut to voice their objections to the capital control bill that was being discussed in a joint parliamentary committee meeting. The activist group Cry of the Depositors called for the mobilization, denouncing the capital control law as a “death penalty for depositors.” The committee session ended without the bill being referred to Parliament for a full vote. Discussions will resume next Tuesday.

In case you missed it, here’s our must-read article from yesterday: “A survivor's story: After the Beirut blast destroyed her world, a teenager turns to the written word”

The Morning Brief will go on hiatus as we at L’Orient Today reduce operations over the Catholic Easter weekend break — news permitting. We will be back with everything you need to know on Tuesday, April 19.