(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an Article 19 press release: Lebanon: Release human rights lawyer Dr. Muhamed Moghraby and safeguard his right to freedom of expression 26th January 2006 ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned by the criminal defamation charge and pre-trial detention of Lebanese human rights lawyer Dr. Muhamad Moghraby, who is due to […]
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an Article 19 press release:
Lebanon: Release human rights lawyer Dr. Muhamed Moghraby and safeguard his right to freedom of expression
26th January 2006
ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned by the criminal defamation charge and pre-trial detention of Lebanese human rights lawyer Dr. Muhamad Moghraby, who is due to appear before the Military Court in Beirut on March 20th, charged with “slandering the military establishment and its officers”. Detained since August 8th, if found guilty, Dr. Moghraby may be sentenced to up to three years’ imprisonment. ARTICLE 19 condemns the use of slander provisions which criminalise criticism of the government and official bodies, and the use of the military court system for the trial of civilians.
“The imprisonment of Dr. Moghraby makes a mockery of the commitments to democratic changes made by the Lebanese authorities since the withdrawal of Syrian troops,” said Dr. Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19. “We are profoundly concerned by the imprisonment of Dr. Moghraby and call for his immediate and unconditional release.”
Dr. Moghraby was accused of slander after delivering a speech to a European Parliament’s ‘Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries and the Gulf States’ in Belgium on 4 November 2003. In the speech, Moghraby criticised Lebanon’s military-court system and the inadequate legal training provided to judges. He also denounced the alleged ill-treatment and torture employed by military courts to extract confessions from suspects.
ARTICLE 19 expresses concern that the case against Dr Moghraby falls within a pattern of harassment that may be related to his legitimate work in defense of human rights in Lebanon. In 1995 he was charged with defaming the state of Lebanon and its judiciary, a case that was finally dismissed in 2001. In an ongoing case against him, pending before the Beirut Court of Appeal, Dr. Moghraby was arrested then released on bail three weeks later, for his alleged “impersonation of a lawyer”. These repeated intimidations violate international standards on the rights and freedoms of lawyers and judges, such as those enshrined in the UN basic principles of the role of lawyers.
Following the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April 2005, which marked the end of 30 years of control, many hoped that this would signal the beginning of a new era of reform and democratization. The trial of Dr. Moghraby sends out a negative message to the international community as to the commitment of the Lebanese government to honor the democratic principles it advocates, including the freedom of speech of its citizens, guaranteed under Article 19 of the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights), Article 19 of the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) to which Lebanon is a State party, and Article 13 of the Lebanese Constitution.
ARTICLE 19 calls upon the Lebanese authorities to:
– Drop the charges of slander filed against Dr. Moghraby and safeguard his right to exercise freedom of expression as guaranteed by the State of Lebanon
– Drop the accusations against him of alleged “impersonation of a lawyer”, pending before the Beirut Court of Appeal
– Put a stop to any harassment of Dr. Moghraby related to his legitimate work in defence of human rights in Lebanon and safeguard his right to exercise his profession in the future without further harassment
