Lebanon: Reporter Layal Saad denied entry to the Presidential Palace. CFWIJ condemns the incident

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September 20, 2021, Beirut - Reporter for Al Jadeed TV, Layal Saad was denied entry to Baabda Presidential Palace. The reporter was on location to cover a cabinet meeting, however, was restricted from attending the session due to an incident that took place during a previous visit. Last month, Layal was abused by a security guard for not referring to President Aoun with his complete title. The security believed she had disrespected the president in the way she spoke about him to a colleague.

The journalist was barred from entering the palace on September 16 by the security officials present. Layal has covered events at the Baabda Presidential Palace for five years and believes that this recent restriction is because of her confrontation with a security guard during her visit on August 21. Last month, while the podium was being prepared for speeches, Layal asked a colleague if “Aoun was giving a speech?”. According to Layal, a security guard overheard her conversation, aggressively approached her and told her that, “You address him by saying ‘his excellency the president, General Michel Aoun,’ and not just ‘Aoun.’” Even though Layal says that an apology was issued by the palace’s staff regarding the incident, she believes this incident is the reason her access was rescinded. 

Layal told an international news platform that on her visit on September 16, the security staff was instructed to not interact with her and she was informed that she is being denied entry on the orders of the president’s media advisor, Rafic Chlala. She was also told to send another reporter as her replacement if Al Jadeed wished to cover the event. Layal conducted a live show from outside the premises where she informed her audience of the restriction placed on her. Layal received support from her employer channel as well as a journalist collective in response. 

Nakaba Badila, tweeted in solidarity with Layal, claiming that, “Preventing Al-Jadeed's correspondent, Layal Saad, from entering Baabda Palace to cover the cabinet session, is a flagrant violation of media freedoms guaranteed by the constitution and the laws in force.”

The management at Al Jadeed refused to send another reporter to replace Layal, arguing that the matter is not about merely replacing a reporter but the larger message of censorship and intimidation it sends out. Al Jadeed, instead, plans on filing a lawsuit against the authorities at the Presidential Palace for disallowing a citizen from entering a public place. “The lawsuit will be lodged against any staff and advisors involved in issuing the ban and I am not sure if that includes the presidency … that’s up to the lawyers to talk about it,” Layal told the news platform. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism extends support and solidarity to Layal Saad and condemns the actions of the Lebanese authorities. Access to the press cannot be allowed or denied based on private conversations or personal likes and dislikes. The restriction placed on Layal has no legal or moral grounds, it is merely an act of intimidation. Layal’s access to the Presidential Palace must be reinstated immediately and she should be allowed to do her job without fear or restriction.