A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For November 15-16/2019 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 30th Day November 15-16, 2019

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A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For November 15-16/2019 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 30th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
November 15-16/2019

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on November 15-16/2019
Farnaud Says No French Solutions for Lebanon, Urges Quick Govt. Formation
Ex-PMs Urge Hariri’s Re-Designation as Premier
Reports: Hariri Agrees with Hizbullah, FPM, AMAL on Naming Mohammed Safadi as PM
Agreement on naming Mohammad Safadi as Lebanon’s next PM: Source
Mohammad Safadi agreed to be Prime Minister of Lebanon: Bassil
Lebanon Protesters Angered by PM Pick
Report: Nomination of Safadi for Premiership Fuels Protests
Center House Sources Slam Bassil for Setting Consultations Da
ISF Chief, ABL Discuss Security Measures to Ensure Banks’ Safety
Private Hospitals Sound Alarm over Shortage in Medical Supplies
U.N. Votes to Oblige Israel to Compensate Lebanon
Safieddine Slams ‘Hostile’ Road-Blocking, Decries Political ‘Absence’ of Protest Movement
Lebanon to Hold Gasoline Tender Amid Supply Concerns
Lebanon protesters react angrily to finance minister’s appointment as new PM

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on November 15-16/2019
Farnaud Says No French Solutions for Lebanon, Urges Quick Govt. Formation
The French envoy in Lebanon said France has no solutions for the crisis in Lebanon but cautioned that “the difficulties are great and of concern to all,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday. Director of the Middle East and North Africa at the French foreign ministry, Christophe Farnaud said an “efficient and effective government capable of taking decisions that respond to the aspirations of the Lebanese people and able to restore confidence must be formed,” according to the daily. Farnaud said his visit to Lebanon aimed to “listen to the Lebanese’ demands, not to suggest solutions” to the crisis. “France has always stood by Lebanon’s side, in good times and difficult times. We are aware of the crisis Lebanon is facing, which is an economic, political and social crisis,” he said. “The solution must be Lebanese. We do not have solutions. The ongoing efforts must be based on three points: speed, effectiveness and credibility,” said the French envoy. Farnaud is expected to meet US Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker in Paris. He said: “It is the nature of our work to exchange views from the core of our responsibilities.”

Ex-PMs Urge Hariri’s Re-Designation as Premier
Naharnet/November 15/2019
Former prime ministers Najib Miqati, Fouad Saniora and Tammam Salam on Friday called for the re-designation of caretaker PM Saad Hariri as premier, hours after Hariri agreed with Hizbullah, the Free Patriotic Movement and the AMAL Movement on nominating ex-minister Mohammed Safadi for the post.
“Since the beginning of the political crisis, we have insisted and today we reiterate our main stance that calls for tasking PM Saad Hariri with forming the new government,” they said in a statement. “In light of the current circumstances, all political forces must facilitate his mission,” the ex-PMs added. Safadi’s reported nomination has angered protesters on the streets, who have been calling for the formation of an independent technocrat cabinet. Sources close to Hariri have meanwhile said that he has agreed to Safadi’s nomination but not to al-Mustaqbal Movement’s participation in the new government or its nature.

Reports: Hariri Agrees with Hizbullah, FPM, AMAL on Naming Mohammed Safadi as PM
Naharnet/November 15/2019
Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri has agreed with Hizbullah, the AMAL Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement on nominating ex-finance minister and businessman Mohammed Safadi for the premiership, several Lebanese TV networks reported late on Thursday. The reports emerged after a Center House meeting between Hariri and the political aides of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Speaker Nabih Berri. Center House sources meanwhile told the Hariri-affiliated Mustaqbal Web news portal that the discussions tackled consensus on Safadi’s nomination but not the shape of the new government or al-Mustaqbal Movement’s participation in it. Social media activists meanwhile erupted in anger over the news as a protest got underway outside Safadi’s house in Tripoli.

Agreement on naming Mohammad Safadi as Lebanon’s next PM: Source
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 15 November 2019
Several major Lebanese politicians have agreed on nominating Mohammad Safadi, a former finance minister, as the prime minister of a new government, according to an Al Arabiya source. The agreement took place following a meeting on Friday between outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Lebanon’s leading Sunni politician, and senior representatives of Amal and Hezbollah. Lebanese broadcaster MTV said the government would be a mixture of politicians and technocrats. (With Reuters)

Mohammad Safadi agreed to be Prime Minister of Lebanon: Bassil
Reuters, Beirut/Friday, 15 November 2019
Ex-finance minister Mohammad Safadi has agreed to be Lebanon’s next prime minister if he wins the support of its major parties and the process to name him should begin on Monday, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil told broadcaster MTV on Friday. “I confirm that we have been in contact with minister Safadi and he has agreed to take on the position of prime minister if his name gets agreement with the main political forces in government,” said Bassil. “If matters move normally, the consultations should begin on Monday with Safadi named at the end of them, otherwise we will continue to go in circles waiting to agree on a name,” he added. Sources told Al Arabiya that former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Movement will not be part of the government, but will contribute in forming it.

Lebanon Protesters Angered by PM Pick
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 15/2019
Lebanese protesters who have been demanding radical reform reacted with anger Friday to the reported nomination of a new prime minister they regard as emblematic of a failed political system. According to senior officials speaking on condition of anonymity and Lebanese press reports, key political players agreed that Mohammed Safadi should be tasked with forming the next government. Outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29, nearly two weeks into the unprecedented nationwide protests demanding the wholesale removal of a ruling elite seen as corrupt and incompetent.
President Michel Aoun has said he will support the formation of a government including technocrats but he has not yet announced consultations over a new line-up and there was no official confirmation that Safadi had been nominated. Demonstrators in his hometown of Tripoli wasted no time in rejecting Safadi, however, and gathered in front of one of his properties to protest against a reported nomination they regard as a provocation. “Choosing Mohammed Safadi for prime minister proves that the politicians who rule us are in a deep coma, as if they were on another planet,” said Jamal Badawi, 60. Another protester said that as a business tycoon and former minister, Safadi epitomized the political class that the protest movement wants to remove. “He’s an integral part of this leadership’s fabric,” said Samer Anous, a university professor. “Safadi does not meet the aspirations of the popular uprising in Lebanon.” Demonstrators also rallied Friday night outside Safadi’s home in Beirut. “Mohammed Safadi is corrupt and we are here to say that the revolutionaries are categorically opposed to see him at the head of the government,” said protester Ali Noureddine.A protest was also planned at Zaitunay Bay, a luxury marina in central Beirut which is run by a company that Safadi chairs and which many say encroaches on public land.

Report: Nomination of Safadi for Premiership Fuels Protests
Naharnet/November 15/2019
Reports that political parties agreed to nominate ex-finance minister Mohammed al-Safadi to line-up the new Lebanese government did not appease the 30-day old uprising demanding an overhaul of the entire political class. Late on Thursday protests erupted in anger over the news that Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri has reportedly agreed with Hizbullah, the AMAL Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement on nominating Safadi for the premiership. They blocked the Zouk Mosbeh highway with burning tires and a protest got underway outside Safadi’s house in the northern city of Tripoli.
Al-Joumhouria newspaper quoted “observers” who wondered if Safadi’s nomination was a “trap” to upheat the revolution or a “solution” to meet the people’s demands. Safadi himself did not comment on the matter, said the daily. But a source close to him said: “Nomination of the new prime minister takes place during binding parliamentary consultations with respect for the Constitution and the position.” He stressed that “any government must meet the aspirations of the people and their demands.”Safadi’s reported nomination emerged after a Center House meeting between Hariri and the political aides of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Speaker Nabih Berri. Center House sources meanwhile told the Hariri-affiliated Mustaqbal Web news portal that the discussions tackled consensus on Safadi’s nomination but not the shape of the new government or al-Mustaqbal Movement’s participation in it.

Center House Sources Slam Bassil for Setting Consultations Date
Naharnet/November 15/2019
A political source close to the Center House on Friday criticized Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil for announcing a date for the binding parliamentary consultations aimed at picking a new PM. “Minister Bassil set a date for the consultations before the President’s move in this regard and he spoke on behalf of the premier who will be designated, announcing that the government’s formation will be quick,” the source lamented in remarks reported by Lebanese TV networks. “Minister Bassil is trying to repair his situation at the expense of the jurisdiction of others, and if he truly wants to offer a favor to the presidential tenure and the presidency, he must request a vacation from making statements,” the source added. Informed sources meanwhile told al-Jadeed TV that caretaker PM Saad Hariri did not commit to anything other than agreeing to the nomination of ex-minister Mohammed Safadi during his meeting with the political aides of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday. Hariri endorsed Safadi because “the other parties did not accept anyone other than him although Hariri proposed several candidates,” the sources said. “Hariri wants to quickly wrap up the caretaker phase, that’s why we have committed to naming Safadi, but we have not committed to taking part in the government pending designation and our knowledge of the shape of the expected government,” the sources added. Bassil had earlier on Friday announced that Safadi “has agreed to being designated premier should his nomination win the approval of the main political forces that constitute the (resigned) government.”“Should things move forward normally, the consultations are expected to begin on Monday after which Safadi will be designated, or else we will remain in the procrastination square pending an agreement on a premiership candidate,” Bassil added. Asked about the period that the formation of the new government will take, the FPM chief said: “It should not be a long period, seeing as the main political forces are convinced that there is a need to speed up the formation of a government that can pull the country out of its crisis.”

ISF Chief, ABL Discuss Security Measures to Ensure Banks’ Safety
Naharnet/November 15/2019
Under the direction of Minister of Interior Raya el-Hassan, a meeting was held between Internal Security Forces chief, Major General Imad Othman and a delegation from the Association of Banks in Lebanon, that agreed to take appropriate security measures to ensure the safe operation of this vital facility, a statement issued by the Ministry said. The Ministry for its part expressed commitment to the agreement, added the statement. Banks were closed after their employees called for a general strike over alleged mistreatment by customers last week. On Tuesday, the union of banks said they were striving to ensure safe working conditions so employees could return to work as soon as possible. Banks have restricted access to dollars since the start of the protests, sparking fears of a devaluation of the local currency and discontent among account holders. The central bank on Monday however insisted the Lebanese pound would remain pegged to the dollar and said it had asked banks to lift restrictions on withdrawals. Unprecedented protests erupted across Lebanon on October 17, demanding the ouster of a generation of politicians seen by demonstrators as inefficient and corrupt.

Private Hospitals Sound Alarm over Shortage in Medical Supplies
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/November 15/2019
Owners and employees of private hospitals in protest-wragged Lebanon staged a warning strike on Friday over shortage in medical supplies triggered by dollar shortage. The Syndicate of private hospital owners called for the strike. They stopped all medical and health services except for emergencies, raising the slogan “We are on the last breath.” Association of Private Hospitals, President Suleiman Haroun, told MTV: “ We are sounding the alarm in hospitals because suppliers have stopped delivering medical supplies because of the failure to pay dues.” Haroun explained: “We can not go on strike like other sectors do, we just sound the alarm. The maximum we do is receive patients, but we won’t be able to provide the appropriate treatment for them.” For two decades until several weeks ago, the Lebanese dollar has been pegged to the greenback, and both currencies were used interchangeably in daily life. But banks have gradually been reducing access to dollars since the end of the summer. Haroun had earlier warned in a statement that medical “stocks in the country will not last more than a month,” requesting banks to facilitate money transfers in US dollars for importers of medical supplies.
He also called on the state to pay pending bills to hospitals and doctors working under the health ministry.

U.N. Votes to Oblige Israel to Compensate Lebanon
Naharnet/November 15/2019
The U.N. on Friday voted in favor of obliging Israel to pay Lebanon compensations over the 2006 oil spill caused by its bombing of the seaside Jiye power plant. According to a tweet posted by MP Hagop Terzian, the U.N. decision obliges Israel to pay Lebanon $856.4 million in compensations. 158 member states voted in favor of the resolution as nine rejected it and six abstained. The oil spill was caused by an Israeli airstrike on oil storage tanks during the 2006 war.

Safieddine Slams ‘Hostile’ Road-Blocking, Decries Political ‘Absence’ of Protest Movement
Naharnet/November 15/2019
A senior Hizbullah official on Friday said the tensions of the past few days in Lebanon are “totally unjustified.” “After what happened over the past few days, and after the blatant political and partisan interferences, we have to ask and the protest movement has to ask about the identity of those sides that have a political program and are seeking to push the country into tensions and push the protest movement to practice harm and aggression against the rest of the people,” the head of Hizbullah’s executive council, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, said. “Is the blocking of roads a democratic or a demands-related act? The blocking of roads is a hostile act and this method of pressure carries an incorrect approach,” Safieddine added. “You have voiced your stance and the people heard it, and I believe that the real protest movement is not concerned with all these methods which it doesn’t need,” the Hizbullah official went on to say.
He added: “We don’t believe that the protest movement has become this weak to resort to a method that reflects weakness, which is the method of blocking roads and harming people. This harms the protest movement itself.”Noting that protesters know the sides that want to implicate them, Safieddine said the Lebanese also know the “unsuccessful and incompetent politicians” who are allegedly seeking to exploit their demos. “They have not managed to maintain their political stances through their own means and they are the ones who bear the responsibility for what is happening,” the Hizbullah official added.
Warning all parties that Lebanon should not “descend into further tensions,” Safieddine lamented the protest movement’s political “absence.” “Why don’t you proclaim yourselves so that you become present and reap what you have achieved with your hands, screams and street protests? Why are you leaving things to others who are speaking in your name through the blocking of roads and the imposition of a political program?” the Hizbullah official added.

Lebanon to Hold Gasoline Tender Amid Supply Concerns
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 November, 2019
Lebanon will hold a tender for gasoline in December, Energy Minister Nada Boustany said on Friday, as it looks to stave off a potential supply shortage brought on by worsening economic conditions. A state tender for gasoline is unusual in import-dependent Lebanon, where fuel is typically procured by private companiesm Reuters reported. However, the ongoing protests over the poor state of the economy have led to bank closures, which in turn impacted traders’ ability to buy from abroad. A tender announcement from the Energy and Water Ministry said Lebanon was seeking 150,000 tonnes of 95 octane gasoline and the deadline for offers is December 2. “I expect good results from the tender and from there we will see how the market will move,” Boustani told broadcaster LBC. The central bank said last month that it would prioritize foreign currency reserves for fuel, medicine and wheat but traders say their ability to transfer payments to suppliers has been complicated by the bank closures. Banks, which were shut for half of October, closed again this week over staff security concerns. According ti Reuters, most transfers out of the country have been blocked and, with US dollars scarce, the pegged Lebanese pound is weakening on the black market.

Lebanon protesters react angrily to finance minister’s appointment as new PM
AFP/November 15/ 2019
BEIRUT: Lebanese protesters who have been demanding radical reform reacted with anger Friday to the reported designation of a new prime minister they regard as emblematic of a failed political system. According to senior officials speaking on condition of anonymity and Lebanese press reports, key political players agreed that Mohammed Safadi should be tasked with forming the next government. Outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29, nearly two weeks into the unprecedented nationwide protests demanding the wholesale removal of a ruling elite seen as corrupt and incompetent.
President Michel Aoun has said he will support the formation of a government including technocrats but he has not yet announced consultations over a new line-up and there was no official confirmation that Safadi had been designated. Demonstrators in his hometown of Tripoli wasted no time in rejecting Safadi, however, and gathered in front of one of his properties to protest against a reported nomination they regard as a provocation.
“Choosing Mohammed Safadi for prime minister proves that the politicians who rule us are in a deep coma, as if they were on another planet,” said Jamal Badawi, 60. Another protester said that as a business tycoon and former minister, Safadi was an embodiment of the kind of political class the protest movement wants to remove. “He’s an integral part of this leadership’s fabric,” said Samer Anous, a university professor. “Safadi does not meet the aspirations of the popular uprising in Lebanon.” A protest was planned in the afternoon at Zaytuna Bay, a luxury marina in central Beirut which is fun by a company that Safadi chairs and which many say encroaches on public land. Several dozen private hospitals across the country closed their doors to patients — except for emergencies — to protest shortages of essential goods following delays in payments by the state.
Last week the head of the syndicate of private hospitals, Suleiman Haroun, said that current medical “stocks in the country will not last more than a month”. A lack of access to the US currency meant the situation could deteriorate fast, he warned. Banks, which have restricted access to dollars since the start of the protests, remained closed after employees went on strike over alleged mistreatment by customers, while many school and university classes were disrupted again. For two decades the Lebanese pound has been pegged to the greenback at around 1,500 to the dollar, with both currencies used interchangeably in daily life. The army meanwhile said it had arrested 20 demonstrators on Friday after soldiers were targeted as they attempted to reopen roads closed by protesters. Nine were later released, seven were held for questioning and four were transferred to the military police, the army said without giving further details.

Titles For The Latest Lebanese LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 15-16/2019
Lebanese Stockpile Food, Medicine Amid Lingering Crisis/Paula Astih/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 November, 2019
HRW says defamation laws used in Lebanon to silence criticsNNA/November 15/2019
Lebanon closer to forming government as banks remain shuttered/Georgi Azar/Annahar/November 15/ 2019
Former Lebanon finance minister Mohammad Safadi proposed as new prime minister/Sunniva Rose//The National/November 15/2019
Who is Mohammad Safadi, Lebanon’s potential new prime minister?/Sunniva Rose/The National/November 15/2019

The Latest Lebanese LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 15-16/2019
Lebanese Stockpile Food, Medicine Amid Lingering Crisis
Paula Astih/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 15 November, 2019
The road from central Beirut to Dora area is unusually car-free at noon. This same highway has always seen traffic jams before the October 17 uprising, and the Lebanese have long complained about it and demanded radical solutions. The closure of a large number of businesses and schools, and the decision of many institutions to reduce the number of employees or their working hours due to the monetary crisis has automatically reflected on road traffic. The war scenario is back to haunt the Lebanese, who have rushed in the past few days to buy necessities and supplies. Some supermarkets and bakeries had to take measures such as limiting the number of packs of bread that can be purchased, as well as bags of rice and some other basic items.Pharmacies have also seen a big wave of rush, especially on infant milk formula. A pharmacist in Mount Lebanon recounted that one woman bought all the milk packs of a particular brand he had on the shelf, as well as all the diapers available, for her 8-month-old baby, which forced him to limit the number of milk packs a customer could buy to only three.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said: “The people are living with the obsession of war and preparing for it; so many deliberately buy large quantities of medicine for fear of [import] interruption.”
Shopping malls, which are usually crowded at this time of the year, before Christmas and New Year, are devoid of customers, prompting many shops to advertise early sales that did not attract shoppers. Those already find it difficult to withdraw their money from banks that no longer open as usual.
While most of the Lebanese are preparing for the war by withdrawing their available funds from the banks and stockpiling food and medicine, many are ready for leaving the country if the security situation further deteriorates. A woman said she was issuing a passport for her 3-year-old child and a visa from the US embassy as she and her husband hold a visa, adding that she would not hesitate to leave the country if the situation took a dramatic path. However, Riad Kahwaji, head of the Middle East and Gulf Center for Military Analysis, ruled out the return to war, stressing that the geopolitical situation that existed in the region and the world on the eve of the 1975 civil war in Lebanon was completely different from the current one. “Today, all Lebanese regions and towns are rebelling against the regime and the political forces combined,” Kahwaji noted in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat.
“War needs armed parties and military forces, but today the only force capable of confrontation is Hezbollah,” he stressed.

HRW says defamation laws used in Lebanon to silence critics
NNA/November 15/2019
– Lebanese authorities have been increasing their reliance on insult and defamation laws to silence journalists, activists, and others critical of government policies and corruption, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
The 122-page report, “‘There is a Price to Pay’: The Criminalization of Peaceful Speech in Lebanon,” finds that powerful political and religious figures have increasingly used the country’s criminal insult and defamation laws against people leveling accusations of corruption and reporting on the country’s worsening economic and political situation. Convictions under these laws can lead to prison terms of up to three years. Parliament should urgently repeal the laws that criminalize speech, some of which date from Ottoman and French Mandate periods.
“Criminal defamation laws are a potent weapon for those in Lebanon who want to silence criticism and debate about pressing social and human rights issues,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “At this critical juncture, Lebanese officials should safeguard, not stifle, free expression.”
Over the past year, Human Rights Watch has interviewed 42 defendants and lawyers in criminal defamation cases as well as government officials and civic leaders. Most defendants reported self-censoring after intimidating experiences resulting from defamation cases.
On October 17, 2019, thousands of people took to the streets to protest new taxes. The protests quickly evolved into widespread public anger against the entire political establishment, whom protesters blame for the country’s dire economic situation and accuse of endemic corruption. The country is experiencing a dollar shortage, with serious implications for the ability to import necessary goods, including medicine, wheat, and fuel.
On September 30, local media reported that the president’s office released a statement stating that — those who broadcast fabricated incidents or false allegations about a decline in the national banknotes to undermine confidence in the state’s robust liquidity and bonds “will be sentenced between six months to three years in jail.”
On October 1, the Cybercrimes Bureau summoned Amer Shibani, a Mostaqbal Web journalist, for a three-hour interrogation after he posted on Twitter that his local bank was not dispensing dollars. Officials “requested” that he delete his Tweet, which he did. On October 5, four Lebanese lawyers filed a complaint against The Economist magazine, accusing it of damaging Lebanon’s reputation and insulting the Lebanese flag in its reporting on the country’s dollar shortage.
One of the main protester demands has been to hold officials accountable for corruption. In response, officials accused of corruption have been using defamation laws to intimidate their critics. Riad Kobeissi, an investigative journalist, said that a public official filed at least two defamation cases against him, the latest after he released documents, call recordings, and WhatsApp messages on October 31 that he said implicated the official in corrupt practices. A prosecutor subsequently charged the official with wasting public funds based on Kobeissi’s evidence.
After mass protests in 2015, Lebanon witnessed an alarming increase in attacks on peaceful speech and expression. The Cybercrimes Bureau — an Internal Security Forces (ISF) unit tasked with combatting cybercrime and enhancing online security — initiated 3,599 defamation investigations between January 2015 and May 2019. The numbers the bureau provided to Human Rights Watch indicate a 325 percent increase in defamation cases for online speech between 2015 and 2018, coinciding with the worsening economic conditions and public disillusionment.
Criminal courts have sentenced at least three people to prison for defamation in this period. One was given nine sentences ranging from two months to six months in separate criminal cases filed against him by the same politician. The Publications Court issued at least one prison sentence during the same period, and military courts have issued three, two of them overturned on appeal.
Although most of these sentences were in absentia, Human Rights Watch found that the prosecution and security agencies improperly, and sometimes illegally, intimidated and tried to silence people charged in these cases.
In at least four cases, armed guards aggressively arrested people accused of defamation in a manner vastly disproportionate to their alleged offense. In one case, about 10 armed police officers stormed the offices of the online publication Daraj and arrested its co-founder and editor-in-chief, Hazem al-Amin, over a defamation lawsuit. “The way they were driving in the street, with the sirens and the convoy, it’s as if they caught [Islamic State leader] Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi,” al-Amin told Human Rights Watch.
People interviewed described physical and psychological interrogation tactics they believed were intended to humiliate, punish, and deter them from criticizing powerful local people. Defendants said that interrogators looked through their phones and social media accounts, sometimes without a judicial order.
Interrogators pressured people to sign pledges not to criticize the complainant or to remove their offending content immediately, before they were able to present their defense in court and in some cases without any charges being brought. Nine people Human Rights Watch interviewed spent time in pretrial detention, in one case 18 days, over defamation charges.
Some people investigated for defamation felt forced into self-imposed exile for fear of arrest or harassment. Others lost their jobs and found it difficult to find new work. Fines and other sanctions have had a significant financial impact on many defendants and their publications.
Lebanon’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression “within the limits established by law,” but the penal code criminalizes defamation against public officials and authorizes imprisonment for up to one year. The penal code also authorizes sentences of up to two years for insulting the president and up to three years for insulting religious rituals. The military code of justice punishes insulting the flag or army with up to three years in prison.
Parliament is debating a new media law that would amend the existing defamation provisions for published content. Although the proposed law prohibits pretrial detention for all publishing crimes, including those on social media, it does not remove prison sentences for alleged defamation and in some instances increases prison time and fines.
Parliament should ensure that the new media law meets international human rights standards, including by banning imprisonment for all speech crimes, Human Rights Watch said. Laws that allow imprisonment for criticizing individuals or government officials are incompatible with Lebanon’s international obligations to protect freedom of expression. Parliament should also repeal the defamation provisions in the penal code and replace them with civil defamation provisions.
“As Lebanon begins the painstaking process of addressing its economic crisis and holding those responsible for major human rights abuses to account, its laws need to protect people who expose corruption and misconduct,” Stork said. “To that end, parliament should urgently decriminalize defamation.”–HRW

Lebanon closer to forming government as banks remain shuttered
Georgi Azar/Annahar/November 15/ 2019
The quest for a new Prime Minister could soon be completed after Lebanon’s main political parties came to a preliminary agreement on the former finance minister to head the next government.
BEIRUT: Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said he expects Mohamad Safadi to be designated the next prime minister with parliamentary consultations scheduled for next week.
Bassil’s comments came during a discussion with a local TV station before he seemingly backtracked saying that “they lacked details.”
The quest for a new Prime Minister could soon be completed after Lebanon’s main political parties came to a preliminary agreement on the former finance minister to head the next government.
Safadi’s name gained traction after current Prime Minister Saad Hariri rejected advances to head a government that includes rival political members. On Thursday, Hariri met with top political aides to Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah. Hariri, sources say, cautiously backed Safadi and would not “veto” his designation.
Hariri, would not, however, confirm his party’s participation in the next government, casting doubt on whether he would throw his full weight behind Safadi. Despite Hezbollah and its Christian ally the Free Patriotic Movement pushing for a mixed Cabinet, tagged as a “techno-political” government, Hariri has refused to budge. He has vehemently opposed proposals to head the new Cabinet unless it would solely be comprised of independent technocrats.
Berri, sources say, is an ardent supporter of Hariri heading the government, yet his pleas seem to be falling on deaf ears.
Hariri submitted his resignation over two weeks ago after massive demonstrations, sparked by a proposed WhatsApp tax, engulfed Beirut and beyond.
Demonstrators have been calling for a complete overhaul of the country’s decades-old confessional system while denouncing the ruling elite who they blame for pushing Lebanon toward the brink of a financial collapse.
As Safadi’s name began circulating, protestors were quick to rebuke Safadi’s nomination, who they accuse of rampant corruption and cut from the same cloth of the ruling elite they are protesting against.
“This is a joke, he won’t make past a week,” one protestor in Jal el Dib told Annahar, accusing him of taking part in shady dealings spanning several industries.
The career politician has assumed public office on a number of occasions, serving as Minister of Public works and Transport from 2005 to 2008 and as Finance Minister in Najib Mikati’s government from 2011 till 2014.
The formation of a government is seen as the first step for Lebanon to kickstart its recovery and avoid an economic collapse not seen since the conclusion of the civil war in 1990.
Banks have remained shuttered since late last week, citing security concerns and the lack “of a framework to ensure the safety of employees.” Lebanon’s bank staff union has called for employees to stay on strike to avoid confrontations with angry customers looking to withdraw their deposits.
Lebanon’s banking sector was also dealt another blow Thursday after Standard & Poor downgraded some Lebanese banks in the midst of a dollar liquidity crisis and mounting pressure.
S&P downgraded Bank Audi, BLOM Bank and Bankmed’s long term credit ratings to CCC from B-minus. The agency also lowered to C the short-term issuer credit rating for Bank Audi and Bankmed. It maintained CreditWatch negative on the banks.
This comes in the wake of Fitch downgrading both Bank Audi and Byblos Bank further into junk territory, while Lebanon’s sovereign rating was lowered to Caa2.

Former Lebanon finance minister Mohammad Safadi proposed as new prime minister
Sunniva Rose//The National/November 15/2019
News of property billionaire’s candidacy triggers more protests in home city of Tripoli
Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on Friday confirmed reports that property tycoon and former finance Mohammad Safadi was being considered to take the post of prime minister in a new government of technocrats demanded by protesters. The move, first reported on Thursday night, prompted protests in the billionaire’s home city of Tripoli and was dismissed as unlikely by a member of caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s party. Mr Bassil told the broadcaster MTV that Mr Safadi had agreed to accept the post if he won the support of major parties, and that the process to formally appoint him should begin on Monday. “If matters move normally, the consultations should begin on Monday with Safadi named at the end of them, otherwise we will continue to go in circles waiting to agree on a name,” MTV quoted Mr Bassil as saying. The nomination of Mr Safadi, 75, was agreed at a meeting between Mr Hariri, Lebanon’s leading Sunni politician, and senior representatives of the Shiite groups Amal and Hezbollah, according to sources quoted in Lebanese media. However, Moustapha Allouche, a political bureau member in Mr Hariri’s Future Movement party, said there were several factors that made Mr Safadi’s nomination unlikely, including his age and the challenges he would face amid the country’s acute economic crisis.
“He’s outside the country now and he’s old and his health is not good enough,” Mr Allouche told The National. “At the same time, he’s not ready for this type of government where he has to fight with everyone around.” Mr Allouche suggested Mr Safadi’s was name “was just thrown among people as a test”. The reaction was immediate in the northern city Tripoli, a Sunni stronghold that Mr Safadi has represented in parliament. Demonstrators gathered in front of one of his properties to protest against his nomination, which they said was the opposite of the changes demanded in a month of protests across the country.
As a business tycoon and former minister, Mr Safadi is an embodiment of the kind of political class the protest movement wants to remove, Samer Anous, a university professor, told AFP. “He’s an integral part of this leadership’s fabric. Safadi does not meet the aspirations of the popular uprising in Lebanon,” he said. Another protester, 60-year-old Jamal Badawi, said: “Choosing Mohammed Safadi for prime minister proves that the politicians who rule us are in a deep coma, as if they were on another planet.”A protest was planned on Friday afternoon at Zaytuna Bay, a luxury marina in central Beirut which is run by a company Mr Safadi chairs. Mr Safadi has courted controversy in the past and was once investigated as part of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office’s controversial arms deal inquiry.
His property firms have previously received contracts from the British arms company BAE.
Mr Hariri quit as premier on October 29 in response to protesters’ demands for sweeping change in Lebanon’s political system and an end to corruption and sectarian cronyism but politicians had been unable to agree on a new cabinet. Lebanon’s caretaker Defence Minister, Elias Bou Saab, said on Thursday that the country was in a “very dangerous situation” and compared recent street unrest to the start of the 1975-1990 civil war. Rallies have been overwhelmingly peaceful but a protester was shot dead in an altercation with soldiers on Tuesday. A funeral was held for the protester, a follower of Druze politician Walid Jumblatt, while the soldier who shot him has been detained. Mr Bou Saab said tension on the street and road closures “have reminded us of the civil war, what happened in 1975. And this situation is very dangerous”. An ally of President Michel Aoun, he said demonstrators had the right to protest and to be protect d, but the army and security services could not tolerate violence. Mr Aoun had said he hoped a government could be soon formed to meet the demands of the protesters.

Who is Mohammad Safadi, Lebanon’s potential new prime minister?
Sunniva Rose/The National/November 15/2019
Billionaire politician has been embroiled in a number of controversies
Three of Lebanon’s main political parties agreed on 75-year old former finance minister and billionaire businessman Mohammad Safadi on Thursday evening as their choice to become Lebanon’s new prime minister.
Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), confirmed on Friday that Mr Safadi would be nominated for the post when formal deliberations on forming the next government begin in parliament on Monday.
By picking a well-connected moderate Sunni Muslim such as Mr Safadi, Lebanese leaders might be seeking reassure the international community as the country lurches towards economic collapse.
But Mr Safadi, who amassed his fortune largely through real estate, is also a retired politician with a string of alleged corruption cases behind him, and protesters have clearly demanded a change from the Lebanon’s current political elite, whom they consider to be old and corrupt. “Mr Safadi is a personality who could build trust with the international community but I think his nomination will fail, especially with the young and the spirit of the revolution demanding radical change” said Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs in Lebanon.
“It’s quite an audacious choice. They are not listening to what people want,” Sami Atallah director of the Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies, told The National. “This could be a litmus test. If they have another candidate in mind that they really want, they could backtrack and introduce another name.”
Mr Safadi made his fortune mainly in real estate dealings in Saudi Arabia and the UK, where he lived during Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. He moved back to Lebanon in 1995 and entered politics a few years later when he was elected to parliament from his home town of Tripoli in 2000, a seat he held for nearly two decades.
During that time he served as minister of public works and transport, from 2005 to 2008, acting minister of water and energy (2007-2008), economy minister (2008-2011), and finance minister (2011-2014). Mr Safadi is said to be close to caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who resigned on October 29, having withdrawn from the parliamentary election in Tripoli last year to support Mr Hariri’s Future Movement. His wife Violette Safadi, 38, a former TV presenter and a public affairs consultant at the economy and finance ministries between 2010 and 2013, was appointed minister of state for economic empowerment of women and youth in the government Mr Hariri formed in January. Both Mr Safadi and Mr Hariri are Sunni Muslims, a requirement to be prime minister in Lebanon, where leadership posts are divided among the country’s different religious groups.
Mr Safadi is considered to be a moderate politician despite accusations of having ties with Lebanon’s pro-Syrian political parties, represented by the three parties who nominated him on Thursday: the FPM, Hezbollah and its Shiite ally Amal. “His keeps his affinities with pro-Syrian parties discreet. He does not flaunt them like some other Tripoli politicians,” Ornella Antar, a freelance journalist from Tripoli, told The National.
As soon as Mr Safadi’s name was put forward on Thursday, Lebanese social media was inundated with videos highlighting his connection to high-profile corruption cases and flashy real estate projects. The most high-profile corruption case Mr Safadi has alleged links to dates back to 2006, when his name came up in a UK investigation into a controversial arms deal between British arms company BAE and Saudi Arabia, according to British newspaper The Guardian. In 2010, BAE agreed to pay nearly $450 million (Dh1.65bn) in penalties to end long-running investigations into questionable payments both in the UK and in the United States. In Lebanon, Mr Safadi has invested in Zeitunah Bay, a luxury waterfront development in the capital that has become a symbol of the disparity between the country’s elite and the majority of Lebanese citizens who struggle to make ends meet.
Critics also highlighted on social media Mr Safadi’s defence of Shadi Mawlawi, a Sunni Islamist active in Tripoli whose arrest by the General Security directorate in 2012, for links to an “armed terrorist organisation”, triggered deadly sectarian clashes in the city.
“His support of Mawlawi at the time was well-received by the majority of Tripoli’s Sunni population,” said Ms Antar. “His links with Sunni terrorism might be exaggerated. But there have been rumours that he is corrupt, like many other Lebanese politicians.”