<\/p>\n
Following years of advocacy by civil society\u00a0organisations, journalists and activists, Lebanon\u00a0has\u00a0passed a new media law\u00a0that introduces\u00a0important\u00a0human rights-based\u00a0reforms,\u00a0but\u00a0falls short\u00a0of bringing all\u00a0the changes needed\u00a0to ensure\u00a0that the\u00a0right to freedom of expression\u00a0is respected, protected and fulfilled\u00a0in the country,\u00a0Amnesty International said today.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Lebanese\u00a0Parliament adopted\u00a0a\u00a0long-awaited\u00a0Media\u00a0Law on 11 August 2026 replacing outdated legislation from 1962 and 1994.\u00a0The law published in the official gazette on 3 September,\u00a0introduces\u00a0several long-overdue safeguards for\u00a0journalists,\u00a0media workers\u00a0and\u00a0people\u00a0exercising their right to freedom of expression\u00a0online, including\u00a0decriminalizing\u00a0insults and\u00a0defamation\u00a0in some instances, introducing\u00a0stronger\u00a0protections for\u00a0sources,\u00a0prohibiting\u00a0pretrial detention\u00a0in media-related cases,\u00a0restricting\u00a0military court jurisdiction\u00a0for such cases,\u00a0and expanding\u00a0protections\u00a0for online expression.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
However,\u00a0parliament missed an opportunity\u00a0to address\u00a0other\u00a0threats to\u00a0the right to freedom of expression, including\u00a0by retaining\u00a0provisions\u00a0in the Penal Code\u00a0that\u00a0carry prison sentences for protected speech\u00a0such as\u00a0\u201cinsulting\u201d\u00a0or defaming\u00a0foreign states, and\u00a0it also\u00a0introduces\u00a0new criminal offence\u00a0for \u201cfalse or harmful\u00a0news\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter years of efforts\u00a0by\u00a0Amnesty International and other rights groups\u00a0advocating\u00a0legislative reform to protect\u00a0expression in Lebanon, the\u00a0new\u00a0media\u00a0law takes\u00a0multiple\u00a0steps\u00a0forward, including\u00a0by\u00a0removing criminal penalties for certain insult and defamation offences and expanding protections for online speech. However,\u00a0long-standing\u00a0provisions\u00a0in Lebanese law\u00a0that\u00a0criminalize\u00a0protected\u00a0expression\u00a0remain on the books\u00a0and\u00a0could\u00a0end up\u00a0undermining\u00a0 progress\u00a0towards decriminalization that\u00a0parliament spent\u00a0nearly\u00a0years\u00a0negotiating,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Reina Wehbi, Lebanon campaigner for Amnesty International.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn recent years,\u00a0people in Lebanon that have published or written on controversial topics or criticized powerful actors have been summoned\u00a0to face criminal investigation\u00a0or brought to court\u00a0for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression\u00a0based on vague insult and defamation articles.\u00a0The Lebanese\u00a0parliament\u00a0must not\u00a0look away from the\u00a0legal provisions\u00a0that could still be used\u00a0to prosecute and intimidate people for peacefully expressing their views\u00a0and\u00a0should complete the reform process by repealing the offence of \u2018false and harmful news\u2019\u00a0which is not a recognizable offence under international law\u00a0and\u00a0fully decriminalizing defamation,\u00a0as well as\u00a0repealing\u00a0insult offences.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n As\u00a0the new law governs expression\u00a0disseminated\u00a0through media outlets, publications, websites,\u00a0online\u00a0platforms and other electronic means, the\u00a0protections\u00a0and exemptions it\u00a0establishes\u00a0do not necessarily apply\u00a0in\u00a0other contexts in which freedom of expression could be exercised.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the positive aspects of the new\u00a0media\u00a0law\u00a0is that\u00a0it\u00a0introduces\u00a0safeguards to\u00a0reduce the risk that criminal law, military institutions, or\u00a0investigative powers\u00a0will be\u00a0used to suppress criticism or journalism.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article 114 prohibits\u00a0pre-trial\u00a0detention for offences committed through the media and electronic means governed by the law, regardless of the status or profession of the accused. By expressly extending this protection to online expression, the provision resolves a long-standing ambiguity under the previous framework, under which\u00a0journalists, content creators and other individuals\u00a0posting online\u00a0could be prosecuted under the Penal Code and denied the procedural safeguards available in publishing-related cases.\u00a0<\/p>\n The law improves\u00a0on\u00a0existing provisions\u00a0in Lebanese law\u00a0concerning \u201cincitement of sectarian conflict,\u00a0or\u00a0violence against individuals or groups on the basis of, or\u00a0because of, their actual or perceived racial, religious, sectarian, ethnic affiliation,\u00a0color, or sex\u201d\u00a0by requiring courts to consider factors such as context, intent, influence, dissemination and likelihood of harm when assessing whether speech amounts to unlawful incitement, in line with international human rights standards. These safeguards help distinguish genuine incitement from protected expression, although concerns\u00a0remain\u00a0regarding\u00a0the undefined concept of \u201csectarian conflict\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article 113 strips military courts of\u00a0jurisdiction\u00a0over all media and expression cases governed by the law. This addresses a long-standing concern\u00a0of\u00a0Amnesty International, which has highlighted cases in which\u00a0civilians such as\u00a0journalists faced military prosecution for speech-related offences.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Articles 115 and 116\u00a0establish explicit guarantees for editorial independence, protect journalists from interference, intimidation and retaliation aimed at influencing their work, safeguard their right to organize, and provide strong protections for confidential sources by restricting disclosure, surveillance, search and seizure measures capable of revealing a source\u2019s identity except in narrowly defined circumstances subject to judicial oversight.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additionally, the law modernizes Lebanon\u2019s media framework by expressly recognizing digital media and\u00a0establishing\u00a0a clear notification-based registration system for media websites and platforms, which are not subject to prior authorization or licensing. It also removes prior authorization requirements for periodical publications, repeals restrictions on the number of political periodicals,\u00a0removes the distinction between political and non-political publications,\u00a0allows internet and satellite-based media outlets to operate through a notification process rather than a licensing regime,\u00a0and abolishes prior censorship over the printing, publication and distribution of non-periodical publications.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article 98\u00a0gives significant legal weight to the public interest, explicitly protecting reporting that exposes corruption, scrutinizes public officials, or addresses other matters of legitimate public concern.\u00a0 While the positive developments are significant, there are also\u00a0a number of\u00a0gaps that the law did not address\u00a0retaining\u00a0problematic provisions on the books that violate freedom of expression.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The new law takes a step backward by\u00a0criminalizing disinformation, without clearly defining it.\u00a0Article 104(b)\u00a0of the new law\u00a0creates a new offence\u00a0criminalizing\u00a0the \u201cintentional fabrication of\u00a0falsehoods and the dissemination of\u00a0false or harmful news\u201d, which is punished\u00a0with up to three years\u2019 imprisonment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The provision\u00a0is problematic because it is open to abuse since\u00a0vague, undefined terms like \u201charmful\u00a0news\u201d, create\u00a0a high risk\u00a0of arbitrary\u00a0summons, investigations and\u00a0prosecutions\u00a0of journalists, media\u00a0workers\u00a0and others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDisinformation has a detrimental impact on human\u00a0rights\u00a0and\u00a0it is important for\u00a0states to take steps to prevent,\u00a0identify\u00a0and counter it,\u00a0however\u00a0criminalization is not an effective way of addressing it.\u00a0Given that\u00a0the scope of\u00a0this\u00a0offence\u00a0will often be\u00a0unclear, the provision\u00a0risks\u00a0becoming\u00a0a\u00a0new\u00a0tool for\u00a0going after\u00a0people exercising their right to\u00a0freedom of expression,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Reina\u00a0Wehbi.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cParliament should urgently amend the law to ensure that any provisions addressing false news are narrowly defined, and fully consistent with international standards on freedom of expression.\u00a0After years of debate, this law should mark a decisive shift away from criminal penalties for speech, not create new tools for censorship and prosecution.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s\u00a0Penal Code\u00a0and\u00a0Military Justice Code\u00a0include\u00a0a number of\u00a0crimes for\u00a0speech-related offences\u00a0which\u00a0have been used to restrict criticism of public officials, state\u00a0institutions\u00a0and other powerful actors.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a step forward,\u00a0the\u00a0new media\u00a0law\u00a0repeals\u00a0offences against religious or national sentiment\u00a0and\u00a0shifts the framework for addressing\u00a0a number of\u00a0speech-related offences\u00a0relating to insult, libel and slander\u00a0from a criminal to a civil liability framework for means of expression governed by the law.\u00a0\u00a0The law also expands protections for criticism of public officials and public figures by allowing defendants to rely on evidence, indications of truth, and public-interest considerations in their defence.\u00a0<\/p>\n However,\u00a0the\u00a0new media\u00a0law\u00a0falls short\u00a0by excluding\u00a0a number of\u00a0speech-related\u00a0criminal\u00a0offences\u00a0from this shift.\u00a0For example,\u00a0Article 292 of the Penal Code,\u00a0which criminalizes insults and defamation directed at foreign states, their\u00a0heads\u00a0or their political representatives in Lebanon,\u00a0remains\u00a0in force.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Further, ambiguity\u00a0remains\u00a0regarding whether\u00a0cases of\u00a0libel and slander directed at public authorities and officials\u00a0have shifted from a criminal to a civil liability framework for means of expression governed by the law.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Articles 107 and 108, which\u00a0concern\u00a0the new\u00a0civil liability framework, include\u00a0libel and slander\u00a0for\u00a0cases involving public officials and public figures.\u00a0But, in its list of speech-related offences for which criminal penalties had been repealed, Article 105 did not explicitly reference\u00a0Articles 385 to 387 of the Penal Code, which criminalize libel and slander against public officials, judges, public institutions, the army and the President.\u00a0Legal experts consulted by Amnesty\u00a0International\u00a0said, in their assessment, the\u00a0legislature\u00a0likely\u00a0intended\u00a0to shift these offences into the new civil framework, but that\u00a0the absence of an explicit reference leaves\u00a0room\u00a0for judicial authorities to continue to apply them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Amnesty International continues to call for the repeal of laws criminalizing insults directed at heads of state, public\u00a0officials\u00a0or other public figures.\u00a0Public figures are legitimately subject to criticism and political opposition and should tolerate more criticism than private individuals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Amnesty International has repeatedly\u00a0documented<\/a>\u00a0how Lebanon\u2019s\u00a0criminal defamation, insult, and other speech-related\u00a0laws have been weaponized by authorities to investigate, prosecute, and harass journalists, activists, and government critics. In 2023, the organization launched its\u00a0#MyOpinionIsNotaCrime<\/a>\u00a0campaign, demanding the decriminalization of defamation offences, an end to military court\u00a0jurisdiction\u00a0over civilian expression, and full compliance with international legal standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n The reform process\u00a0of\u00a0laws governing the media\u00a0began in 2010 with a draft law presented by former MP Ghassan\u00a0Moukheiber\u00a0and the Maharat Foundation to replace the 1962 Publications Law. Over 16 years, the draft underwent extensive revisions across parliamentary subcommittees before final adoption on 11 August 2026. Throughout this process, Amnesty International and its partners in the Coalition for Freedom of Expression in Lebanon have continuously campaigned to ensure that Lebanese legislation protects, rather than suppresses, peaceful debate and media freedom.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n kabarsula SLOT <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Following years of advocacy by civil society\u00a0organisations, journalists and activists, Lebanon\u00a0has\u00a0passed a new media law\u00a0that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kabarsula"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}New\u00a0safeguards\u00a0introduced<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\u00a0
\u201cThese new safeguards\u00a0represent\u00a0years-long,\u00a0diligent\u00a0and dedicated work by activists,\u00a0advocates\u00a0and journalists to improve the environment for free expression in Lebanon. It is now on the state to ensure these safeguards are rigorously adhered to in the days and months ahead\u201d,\u00a0said\u00a0Wehbi.\u00a0<\/p>\nSerious free expression gaps\u00a0remain<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n
Background<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h4>\n