Against Repression in All Its Forms
In Solidarity with Daraj and Megaphone Amid A Coordinated Campaign

In light of the coordinated campaign targeting Lebanese independent media outlets Daraj and Megaphone, we, the undersigned group of civil society and media organizations from Lebanon and around the world, come together to stand in solidarity against attempts to silence these leading voices. We call on the relevant Lebanese authorities to take clear steps in the face of these defamatory and alarming actions.

Earlier this month, Daraj and Megaphone learned via an article published by Lebanese television channel MTV that a new legal complaint was allegedly being brought against them before the Public Prosecutor’s Office, a complaint that both Daraj and Megaphone have yet to be officially notified of or served with. The independent media organizations are reportedly accused of (1) undermining the financial standing of the state, (2) destabilizing confidence in the strength of the national currency and state bonds, (3) inciting depositors to withdraw their funds and sell bonds, and (4) receiving suspicious foreign funds with the aim of launching media campaigns that would shake confidence in Lebanon.

This most recent targeting of Daraj and Megaphone comes alongside a defamatory campaign against both independent media organizations from media outlets, websites, and figures who are linked to Lebanese banker Antoun Sehnaoui. This campaign follows recent similar campaigns targeting Lebanese economists who have put forth recommendations which would threaten the banking lobby’s interests and hold them to account. Since February, a similar media defamation campaign linked to Sehnaoui’s affiliated-organizations has also targeted Lebanese advocacy group Kulluna Irada following their demands for accountability in relation to the theft of peoples’ funds following Lebanon’s 2019 financial crisis.

Since Lebanon’s financial crisis in 2019, Daraj and Megaphone have been producing news and reports investigating financial mismanagement, corruption, and money laundering, including critical investigations which resulted in multi-country accountability efforts targeting former Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. Prior to this coordinated campaign, attempts were previously made to silence both Daraj and Megaphone through prior lawsuits.

Lebanon is at a critical moment. The new Lebanese government is actively engaging with the IMF and the World Bank in support of the country’s reconstruction and economic recovery and the country is preparing to elect a new Central Bank Governor. Rather than working toward the financial and economic reform that the country and its people desperately need, the Association of Banks in Lebanon is working to ensure their preferred candidate is elected and that restructuring plans are adopted to shift the burden of repaying depositors away from the banks and onto the government itself. In support of this, they are instrumentalizing Daraj and Megaphone’s reporting in a campaign to silence them.

We, the undersigned, call on the relevant Lebanese authorities, specifically, the public prosecutors and judicial authorities, the Prime Minister, the Ministers of Justice and of Information, and the President, to protect independent media outlets and support the country’s economic recovery by:

• Stopping the weaponization of baseless charges to silence independent media and stopping the referral of cases involving media outlets and journalists to criminal court.
• Investigating entities that weaponize state tools to silence independent media outlets through SLAPP lawsuits.
• Ensuring a free operating environment for the media and free expression in line with Lebanon’s constitutional and international obligations.
• Enacting necessary reforms on media regulation and ensuring state oversight on media funding to prevent conflicts of interest and the control of media by the perpetrators of financial crimes.
• Pursuing meaningful economic reforms which hold financial abusers accountable and which bring the country out of economic crisis.

Signatories:

1. Access Center For Human Rights (ACHR)
2. Access Now
3. Al Khatt
4. Al-aalem Al-jadeed
5. Al-Jumhuriya Collective
6. Alhudood
7. AMAL
8. Arab Reform Initiative
9. Arab Watch Coalition
10. Arabi Facts Hub
11. ARIJ (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism)
12. ARTICLE 19
13. Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
14. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
15. Cedar Centre for Legal Studies
16. Committee to Protect Journalists
17. Community Media Network
18. Egyptian Front for Human Rights (EFHR)
19. Egyptian Human Rights Forum (EHRF)
20. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
21. Electronic Frontier Foundation
22. Fair Square
23. Fakar Tany
24. Febrayer Network
25. Forbidden Stories
26. From The Periphery
27. HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
28. Inkyfada
29. INSM
30. International Press Institute (IPI)
31. Journalisme & Citoyenneté . Les Assises du Journalisme
32. Kandoo
33. Kawaakibi Foundation
34. Lebanese Center for Human Rights
35. Mada Network
36. Maharat Foundation
37. Marie Colvin Journalists’ Network
38. Matsadaash
39. MENA Rights Group
40. Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
41. Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
42. Radio Rozana
43. Raseef22
44. REDWORD for Human Rights & Freedom of Expression
45. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
46. Samir Kassir Foundation
47. SMEX
48. Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research
49. Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
50. Syrians for Truth and Justice – STJ
51. Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism (SIRAJ)
52. The Alternative Press Syndicate – Lebanon
53. The Palestinian Platform for Fact-Checking and Media Literacy- Kashif
54. The Solidarity Directory (Daleel Tadamon)
55. The Syria Campaign
56. The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP)
57. Tech4Peace
58. UMAM Documentation & Research
59. Wattan Media Network
60. Zawia3