The summons follows a complaint filed in March by three lawyers acting in a private capacity, reportedly in response to the outlets’ critical coverage of candidates for the Central Bank governorship [Getty]
Amnesty International has called on Lebanese authorities to immediately drop a criminal complaint filed against two independent media outlets – Daraj Media and Megaphone News – warning that the move amounts to an attack on press freedom in the country.
The two digital news platforms have been summoned for interrogation on Tuesday by Lebanon’s Cassation Public Prosecution Office.
The summons follows a complaint filed in March by three lawyers acting in a private capacity, reportedly in response to the outlets’ critical coverage of candidates for the Central Bank governorship and their broader reporting on Lebanon’s financial crisis.
The complaint accuses the media outlets of a range of serious allegations, including “undermining the state’s financial standing,” “receiving suspicious foreign funding,” and even “conspiring against the security of the state”.
Both Daraj and Megaphone have published investigative reports exposing alleged financial mismanagement, corruption, and money laundering involving high-level officials.
Amnesty condemned the summons as a form of political and legal harassment.
“The Lebanese authorities’ decision to summon Daraj Media and Megaphone News for questioning signals a willingness to allow powerful political and financial interests to instrumentalize the criminal justice system to intimidate and harass critical voices,” said Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
“The authorities should be protecting press freedom, not undermining it.”
Amnesty further described the case as “a dangerous escalation in ongoing efforts to intimidate independent journalism in Lebanon”, pointing to a broader context of media repression and lack of accountability.
“The Lebanese authorities must immediately dismiss the complaint and ensure independent media are able to continue their work without fear of intimidation or harassment,” Beckerle added.
The UK-based human rights group also highlighted procedural flaws in how the case has been handled. Both Daraj and Megaphone confirmed they were notified of the summons by phone and had not received any written documentation outlining the charges against them or the legal basis for the investigation.
According to Article 147 of Lebanon’s Code of Criminal Procedure, summonses must be issued in writing and include details of the alleged offence and the relevant legal provisions. Furthermore, Lebanon’s Publications Law stipulates that complaints related to journalistic work must be handled by the Publications Court, not by the public prosecutor’s office.
The case also comes amid a wider campaign of online disinformation and defamation targeting the two outlets, which Amnesty says is being led by non-state actors with ties to Lebanon’s political and financial elites.
Amnesty warned that this is part of a broader trend of legal harassment of journalists and activists in Lebanon. Since the country’s financial collapse in 2019, thousands of critics and whistleblowers have been subjected to criminal investigations under vague and overly broad legal provisions.
“The targeting of these media outlets reflects an alarming pattern,” Amnesty said. “Instead of silencing those who are shining a light on corruption and economic mismanagement, the authorities should focus on addressing the root causes of Lebanon’s ongoing crisis.”
