Minister of Information Paul Morcos. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Minister of Information Paul Morcos issued a statement on Sunday reiterating that journalists are only required to appear in the court designated specifically to cases relating to the press.
"The Court of Publications is the only instance before which journalists must appear when prosecuted in the exercise of their function," Morcos asserted, following several instances of journalists being prosecuted in press-related cases in different courts.
Last week, the editor-in-chief and the managing editor of online news outlet al-Hurra, Carine Abdelnour and Bechara Charbel, were summoned by the police to appear before a criminal court. Even though the law is clear regarding prosecutions against journalists in Lebanon, it is not uncommon for them to face charges from courts other than the one designated specifically for the press. In being summoned to criminal courts, journalists could face detention for their work. According to protections of freedom of the press, journalists should never be jailed for issues related to their work.
Morcos called for Parliament to speed up the process of passing the new media law, which he says further guarantees journalists' freedoms and outlines the establishment of a "specialized civil instance for handling cases related to journalistic prosecutions."
The minister specified that he had spoken with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Minister of Justice Adel Nassar, in order to reaffirm the necessity of protecting the freedom of expression of the media.