Peaceful Assembly

In December 2018, Lebanon saw a number of anti-government protests prompted by the current political stalemate which has prevented the formation of a government since May 2018. In response, people in Lebanon have mobilised to decry worsening economic and social conditions in the country.

On 23rd December 2018, several hundred people marched through Beirut denouncing the current political deadlock, and calling for an end to corruption, better social services and respect for citizens “basic rights”. Some of the protesters wore yellow vests, adopting the symbol of France’s “yellow vest” anti-government protests. During the protest in Beirut, protesters marched towards the government buildings and spread into the streets around the city. Video reports from the protest shows armed military personnel and armoured tanks being deployed to the area of the protest. Brief clashes between Lebanese security forces and the protesters quickly followed. Authorities claim the clashes were started when some protesters allegedly threw water bottles, burned rubbish and threw rubbish bins at the Lebanese security personnel, and attempted to block roads. Security forces and army personnel responded by beating protesters and assaulting journalists with batons. The use of force was verified through multiple media reports and journalist eyewitness accounts.

The Lebanese army issued a statement from the Army Command, dated 26th December, stating that it respected the freedom of expression and peaceful protest and the “freedom of responsible media” but noted that it “will not be tolerant" with those who "target the image of security forces and stir tumult and chaos in the country”.

The protest on 23d December 2018 followed several smaller protests that occurred earlier in December:

• On 16th December 2018, hundreds of people took to the streets in Beirut in an anti-government protest . While it was originally organised by the Communist Party, the protests received support from others frustrated by the country's deepening political and economic crisis.
• Protests broke in several parts of the country on 18th December 2018 (Tripoli, Beirut and in Palestinian camps in Lebanon), sparked by the news about the death of a Palestinian toddler, as he was allegedly denied admission to several hospitals. In the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp near the city of Tripoli, protesters reportedly burned tires outside the office of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, blaming the agency and Lebanese authorities for failing to provide adequate care for the child.

Journalists Covering the Protest Harassed and Beaten

Despite clearly identifying themselves, at least four journalists covering the protest on 23rd December 2018 in Beirut were assaulted by the security forces, including army personnel, deployed to the protest,:

• Military personnel harassed and assaulted Hasan Shaaban, a photographer for the Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star and the Reuters. He was attacked by a group of military officers while covering the protest and assaulted supposedly for taking pictures of the army. Video shared on social media by Shaaban documents him shouting "journalist, journalist” to the soldiers accosting him. "The soldiers kicked me to the ground, punched me, and hit me anywhere they could," Shaaban said; his statement is substantiated by pictures and video documentation. While Shaaban believed he was randomly picked, he also claimed that the soldiers purposefully targeted photographers who were documenting attacks on unarmed civilians.
• Richard Sammour, a photographer for the local daily Al-Joumhouria also reported being attacked by soldiers while filming and taking pictures of soldiers assaulting protesters near Hamra Street, according to his account provided to CPJ. Prior to being hit in the head by soldiers, he had been instructed “to step back and stop taking pictures”.
• Security forces also assaulted the broadcast team for Al Jadeed TV, consisting of reporter Rachel Karam and cameraman Zakaria al-Khatib, while they were covering the protest at Hamra Street. Using truncheons, the security forces beat the journalists causing injury to Khatib’s hand. "The first thing they hit was the camera and I was holding a microphone, so they knew we were journalists. They broke the camera and kept beating us," Karam told CPJ.