The journalist Afif Diab, Al- Akhbar reporter in the Bekaa was attacked and hit on his face and back and shoulder at Green’s Café in Chtoura on Saturday June 2nd 2012 by four guys, while the police refused to take any action.
Diab was attacked on the same day when his article was published in Al-Akhbar newspaper, entitled “To Ziad Al-Homsy: you are a traitor”.
Al-Houmsy was arrested in 2009 for being charged to be an Israeli Agent and was set free last week after three years and two months of imprisonment, after the military court decided to reduce the penalty.
Diab told Maharat through a phone call that after he started working on the case of Al-Homsy and wrote about his life after he was arrested, an enmity and hatred arose toward him from Al-Homsy family. Diab added that Al-Homsy sent him on the 25th of May a WhatsApp message from Roumieh prison telling that “I will revenge from those who were unjust with me, and this is my right in all laws even the jungle law”, Al-Homsy threatened Diab in another message to keep the previous message away from media and asked him to apologize publicly to solve the matter.
Diab added that on the same day of the issuance of the judicial sentence, he met Al-Homsy’s wife in Chtoura where Al-Homsy’s supporters were gathered and told him “I will let you pay” and a guy with her added “you will pay very soon”. It was only hours when Diab was attacked by relatives of Al-Homsy’s wife.
When Diab wanted to file a complaint at Chtoura Police Station, he was shocked that the police refused to open a file and the case was transferred to the General Prosecutor during the weekend vacation.
Diab explained that when he was at the station, the police called the lawyer Khaled Chahimy the brother of Al-Homsy’s wife who asked Diab to solve the problem amicably but Diab refused. At this point, the chief of the police station started to file a case but he received a phone call so he decided not to take any action.
Maharat Foundation condemns the attack on the journalist Afif Diab because of his media work, and is also surprised why the police did not take action against the attackers, the thing that will excuse further attacks on journalists. Maharat 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 asks the judicial authorities to work seriously on this case and to hold the attackers accountable.