Maharat Foundation

Beirut – 22/5/2012

Maharat Foundation condemns the attack on journalists while covering the protests in the North

On 20/05/2012 journalists and cameramen were attacked while covering the protests in North Lebanon after the shooting of Sheikh Ahmad Abdul-Wahed and Mohammad Mereab at a Lebanese Army checkpoint.

Al-Jadeed team was attacked by a group of people who were closing the Al Abdeh road. Al-Jadeed reporter Rona al- Halabi told Maharat “We arrived to Al-Abdeh around one o’clock in the afternoon trying to reach Halba, but the road was closed. We stopped to take some live pictures when some guys attacked the cameraman Omar Khaddaj, hit him on the head and tried to take his camera. We managed later to leave the region after the intervention of other people in the group.

Ghassan Saoud, a journalist in Al-Akhbar newspaper was threatened by MP Khaled Daher while covering the protest in front of Halba mosk, after he wrote an article few weeks ago that the MP Daher found offensive.

Al-Akhbar newspaper stated that Daher cursed the journalist Ghassan Saoud telling that he will not ignore what was written. Daher added that he knows how to get his rights, those words triggered the supporters of the MP thus Saoud had to leave immediately.

Maharat Foundation condemns the attack on journalists, and stresses the importance of avoiding journalists from conflicts and reactions towards any attitude or event, since their mission is to deliver the news to the public opinion, and every attack on journalists that are on duties is considered an attack on the freedom of  the circulation of information, and news coverage.