U.S. Embassy 'Disheartened' by Assault on al-Jadeed Crew
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday said it was “disheartened” by the mistreatment of an al-Jadeed TV crew at the hands of Lebanese Customs agents on Tuesday.
The embassy said on its Twitter page that it was “disheartened to see how (Riyad) Qobeissi and other journalists were treated yesterday.”
It added that it was “glad to see that the (caretaker) Justice Minister (Shakib Qortbawi) supports a full investigation so all sides are heard.”
“Government institutions must be accountable to the people and the law,” the embassy said.
The rule of law and freedom of expression are “pillars of a free and stable country,” the embassy stressed.
On Tuesday, al-Jadeed television journalists were assaulted by Customs agents in downtown Beirut after Riyad Qobeissi used a megaphone to demand an interview with Customs acting chief Shafiq Merhi about alleged corruption.
Following a lawsuit filed by the television station, the Central Criminal Investigations Department questioned the crew under the supervision of the state prosecutor for several hours before releasing them.
A statement from the Customs said Tuesday that the journalist used degrading language, adding it was not the appropriate manner to request an interview.
27 November 2013, 16:45
113
Why bunch of Hypocrites ?
So you guys who support Syria and Iran (supporters of Saudi are also involved) and call for democracy support state violence against the media ?
You don't believe in freedom of expression and freedom of information for citizens.
This is simply unacceptable for you to defend these criminals just because the US is condemning their actions.
Stop trying to find excuses for your M8 controlled mafia and criminal activities ... you are really ridiculous.
27 November 2013, 17:28
101
Apply the same criticism to US and Iran and then we will talk and I will join you ... until then, you're the hypocrites...
27 November 2013, 18:33
26
Iran doesnt have 50+ bases around the world and start random wars. The US overthrew their leader and set up a dictator, or have you forgotten about that? What about arming Saddam in the 80s to use Chemical weapons on Iran on the 80s? You might not agree with their religious views, but to compare the two is quite simply laughable and shows your complete ignorance of history.
27 November 2013, 20:55
51
@Southern, Assange and Snowden have been accused of a crime and have the right to a fair trial in the US. They are fugitives because they know they did something wrong and to avoid persecution and NOT because of a corrupt system. I'm a proud Lebanese-American and I can tell you that the US have the best legal system in the world even though it has its flaws. Please do not compare what those thugs did to journalists. This is a matter of free speach and that is absolutely absent in Lebanon.
