Lebanon court sentences journalist for criticizing army

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A Lebanese military court hands down a six-month prison sentence to a journalist for presenting views critical of the army, a court official told AFP says.

Hanin Ghaddar, also a researcher known for her criticism of the powerful Hezbollah movement, was sentenced in absentia on January 10 over an expose at a conference in the United States, the source says.

Her sentence sparks outrage among fellow journalists and academics in Lebanon, where they say free speech and freedom of the press are once again being challenged.

The court official says the ruling found Ghaddar, a US resident, guilty of “defaming the Lebanese army, harming its reputation and accusing it of distinguishing between Lebanese citizens.”

During a conference session in Washington in 2014, a recording of which is available online, she described the situation in Lebanon as “Sunnis being clamped down by Hezbollah and the Lebanese army versus Hezbollah militia being the untouchables.”

— AFP