Lebanon: CFWIJ condemns the Free Patriotic Movement supporter attack against journalist Joyce Akiki

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April 19, 2021, Beirut – MTV Lebanon News correspondent Joyce Akiki was attacked by Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) supporters, during her live coverage about the protest between two judge supporters at Palace of Justice in Beirut. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) is utterly dismayed by the vicious attacks against Joyce. We demand Lebanese law enforcement to ensure journalists’ safety. 

 Tensions at Beirut's courthouse between Ghada Aoun and Ghassan Oueidat supporters escalated. The Supreme Judicial Council (CSM) held an exceptional meeting on Monday, April 19, to discuss the highly controversial actions of the prosecutor Ghada Aoun. Along with the start of the meeting, groups of protestors, and supporters of Aoun faced each other in a sit-in outside the Beirut courthouse. During the tense gathering, MTV Lebanon News reporter Joyce Akiki was verbally harassed and was subjected to vicious attacks by the FPM supporters. 

The Samir Kassir Foundation, which defends press freedom and freedom of expression, posted a video about the journalist's difficult moments while covering the protests that took a place in Beirut. The video indicates that FPM supporters prevented Joyce from completing her live coverage. While Joyce was interviewing a person, a group of men surrounded her and a man started shouting at the camera. At the end of the scene, security forces intervened and Joyce's live coverage was cut.

According to L’orient Le Jour, the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation, Ghassan Oueidate, took Thursday the decision to modify the distribution of tasks within the prosecution of the court, restricting to the three officers Sami Sader, Samer Lichaa and Tanios Saghbini. The examination was about, respectively, drug trafficking and disposal crimes, major financial crimes and homicides. Judge Aoun, however, refused to entrust the case of which she had been divested to Judge Samer Lichaa, in particular, the investigation into transfers of funds abroad, multiplying the precedents over the weekend. She ordered a raid against the Mecattaf exchange company in Awkar, Metn, and harangue supporters of the FPM who had come to support Aoun. On Monday, Oueidate asked the Financial Attorney to investigate suspicions hanging over the Mecattaf company regarding a possible violation of laws governing currency transfer companies. 

 In this tense context, demonstrators claim to support Oueidate against Aoun and want to defend the rights of the community against the CPL gathered on Monday at the Beirut courthouse.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the brutal attacks against journalist Joyce Akiki. We urge Lebanese law enforcement to provide a safe environment to journalists to freely do their jobs. Journalists' one of the fundamental duties is to inform the public and reveal the developments. Under such difficult circumstances may cause their work to be prevented from doing their journalistic coverages.