Pro-Hezbollah journalist Ali Berro under arrest warrant

BEIRUT — Beirut’s first investigative judge, Roula Osman, issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for Ali Berro, a journalist with Hezbollah’s al-Manar channel, after questioning him for about forty-five minutes.

The previous day, the magistrate had received his case file transmitted by Beirut’s public prosecutor at the Court of Appeal, Raja Hamoush, who had just filed charges against him, including inciting sectarian strife during wartime, insulting the president of the republic, defamation of the prime minister and ministers, making death threats against them, as well as defying government decisions. In his transfer document, Judge Hammoush recommended the issuance of an arrest warrant.

More about the case

Ali Berro prosecuted by Beirut public prosecutor

Known for his provocative videos, Berro had threatened officials to “take their souls” if they wanted to “take the weapons” away from Hezbollah, following last week’s Cabinet decision to deem Hezbollah’s weapons illegal.

Last January, among other things, Berro published a video on Instagram filmed on the road to the Baabda Presidential Palace. In a move described as at least audacious, he called on Southerners, whose homes were destroyed by Israeli bombings, to “move into the Baabda palace,” arguing that it “needs a bit of cleaning.”

Before being arrested Friday by the ISF to be placed in custody on instructions from the chief prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, Jamal Hajjar, the journalist had posted a video in which he notably invoked freedom of speech.

Immediately after the arrest warrant was issued by Judge Osman, Berro’s lawyer, Ali Badawi, filed an appeal with Beirut’s indictment chamber, presided over by Kamal Nassar. He had 24 hours to do so.

In a show of solidarity with the journalist, and coinciding with his questioning, around thirty people held a sit-in outside the Beirut Palace of Justice,