On April 15, 2025, Daraj and Megaphone received a verbal summons for investigation following a criminal complaint accusing them of “undermining the financial standing of the state,” “destabilizing confidence in the national currency,” and “inciting deposit withdrawals.” The accusations came after both platforms published investigative reports criticizing the appointment process for new leadership positions at the Central Bank of Lebanon and revealing information related to money smuggling and financial corruption.

Notably, the summons was not delivered in accordance with the legal procedures stipulated in Article 147 of the Lebanese Code of Criminal Procedure, which requires a written summons that includes details of the alleged legal violation. Furthermore, Lebanese law mandates that lawsuits related to journalistic work be referred to the Print and Publications Court, not to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

This development comes amid a growing crackdown on independent media in Lebanon. The Cybercrimes Bureau has summoned journalists from Daraj twice since the beginning of 2025, following complaints filed by Antoun Sehnaoui, Chairman of the Board of SGBL Bank, after the platform published investigative reports covering financial practices linked to the bank.

According to a report by Human Rights Watch, Lebanon saw 3,599 investigations for online defamation charges between 2015 and 2019, with a 325 percent increase in such cases over just three years. These numbers indicate a troubling rise in the use of the law as a tool to suppress freedom of expression and target the press, instead of holding those responsible for the financial collapse to account.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the summoning of Daraj and Megaphone for investigation by the Lebanese Public Prosecutor’s Office. Both organizations described the move as a dangerous escalation in the ongoing campaign of intimidation targeting independent journalism in the country.

Below is the full text of the joint statements issued by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch:

Human Rights Watch

Lebanon: Journalists and Activist Summoned for Interrogation Amid Legal Threats

On April 15, Human Rights Watch said that Lebanese journalists, media organizations, and civil society groups are facing the repeated use of criminal defamation charges and other vague legal provisions in response to their work alleging corruption and financial mismanagement in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. On April 10, Lebanon’s public prosecution summoned journalists from Daraj and Megaphone, two Lebanese media organizations, and the executive director of Kulluna Irada, an advocacy group, for investigative hearings on April 15. Security services previously summoned Daraj journalists in March for questioning.

“Lebanon’s recent political changes have not deterred authorities form clamping down on independent media and civil society organizations investigating and reporting on alleged financial misconduct and corruption,” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Once again, we are witnessing the weaponization of criminal defamation laws and other dubious legal provisions in order to stifle attempts to shed light on years of financial malpractices.”

Lebanon’s new president and government, including the minister of information, as well as the current parliament should publicly commit to protecting the right to freedom of expression.

Since March 2025, Lebanon’s Anti-Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Rights Bureau, an Internal Security Forces unit tasked with combating cybercrime and enhancing online security, has twice summoned the editor-in-chief of Daraj following lawsuits over its investigations. Daraj’s lawyer told Human Rights Watch that documents he reviewed related to the lawsuits stated they were filed by Antoun Sehnaoui, the CEO of Lebanese bank Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL). The lawsuits, which accuse Daraj of “defamation” and other vague charges, were filed following the media organization’s reporting on alleged financial malpractices by SGBL and the Lebanese banking sector more generally.

Media reports and Daraj’s lawyer say that Sehnaoui first filed a libel and defamation lawsuit against Daraj’s editor-in-chief, Hazem al-Amin, and journalist Jana Barakat in March 2024 in response to a 2023 investigative report on alleged financial malpractices by SGBL and Sehnaoui in the years leading up to and following Lebanon’s economic and financial crisis in 2019. Sehnaoui filed a second lawsuit against al-Amin, the lawyer said, on March 10, 2025, in relation to a video report commenting on Sehanoui’s initial lawsuit and al-Amin’s summons by the cybercrime bureau. Human Rights Watch sent a letter outlining its findings and posing questions to Antoun Sehnaoui on April 4 but has not received a response.

A third complaint, filed by three lawyers in March, accuses Daraj and Megaphone of “undermining the state’s financial standing and destabilizing confidence in the Lebanese currency and bonds,” “inciting depositors to withdraw their funds,” “stirring up strife,” “undermining the prestige of the state and national sentiment,” “assault and conspiracy against state security,” and “receiving foreign funding for media campaigns seeking to harm Lebanon.” On March 26, Lebanon’s top public prosecutor referred this complaint to the public prosecutor at the court of appeals.

On March 11, a separate group of lawyers filed a complaint against the Lebanese advocacy group Kulluna Irada, accusing the group of publishing false or exaggerated information “that seeks to weaken the morale of the nation,” “undermine the prestige of the state or its financial standing,” and “to cause a decline in the value of national banknotes or undermine confidence in the strength of the state’s currency, its bonds, and all other securities related to public financial confidence.” On March 25, Lebanese TV reported that Lebanon’s public prosecutor also had referred the complaint to the public prosecutor at the court of appeals.

Human Rights Watch has previously documented the Lebanese authorities’ increasing use of defamation and insult laws to silence journalists, activists, and others critical of government policies and corruption. Even if the judiciary is quick to dismiss such complaints, they are an intimidation tactic that can have a chilling effect on the media and lead to self-censorship, Human Rights Watch said.

As parliament debates a new media law, it should affirm Lebanon’s human rights obligations by repealing insult and defamation provisions in the penal code and replacing them with civil penalties. Parliament should ensure that the new media law meets international human rights standards, including by eliminating all charges and penalties based on peaceful speech, Human Rights Watch said.

In a 2019 report, Human Rights Watch found that the Cybercrimes Bureau had initiated 3,599 defamation investigations between January 2015 and May 2019. The numbers the bureau provided to Human Rights Watch at the time indicated a 325 percent increase in defamation cases for online speech between 2015 and 2018, coinciding with worsening economic conditions and public disillusionment in Lebanon.

In a joint statement in March, Lebanese media organizations, civil society groups, and parliament members condemned the ongoing campaign to silence media outlets and called on Lebanon’s Public Prosecution Offices to reject politically motivated investigations of journalists and civil society organizations.

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.

“Without serious reforms, criminal defamation laws in Lebanon are easily exploited to stifle legitimate speech,” Coogle said. “As Lebanon’s government promises key financial, judicial, and social reforms, it should also work to strengthen freedom of expression protections afforded under Lebanese law.”

Amnesty International

Lebanon: Authorities must immediately dismiss complaint against independent media outlets

On April 15, Amnesty International exclaimed that Lebanese authorities must immediately dismiss a criminal complaint filed against independent media outlets Daraj Media and Megaphone News, Amnesty International said today, following news that the two independent digital media outlets have been summoned for interrogation by the Cassation Public Prosecution Office on Tuesday 15 April in connection with the complaint.

The complaint came shortly after the media outlets’ criticism of certain candidates for the governorship of the Central Bank and their calls for accountability for Lebanon’s financial and economic crises. The complaint, filed in March, was initiated by three lawyers acting in a private capacity following the media outlets’ reporting on government financial decisions, appointments, and the Central Bank. Both outlets have investigated and reported on allegations of financial mismanagement, corruption, and money laundering. The complainants accused the media outlets of “undermining the state’s financial standing, undermining confidence in the local currency, inciting the withdrawal of bank deposits and the sale of government bonds, receiving suspicious foreign financing with the aim of undermining confidence in the state, inciting strife, undermining the reputation of the state, weakening national sentiment and attacking and conspiring against the security of the state.”

“The Lebanese authorities’ decision to summon Daraj Media and Megaphone News for questioning signals a willingness to allow powerful political and financial interests to instrumentalize the criminal justice system to intimidate and harass critical voices. The authorities should be protecting press freedom, not undermining it,” said Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

“The targeting of these media outlets represents a dangerous escalation in ongoing efforts to intimidate independent journalism in Lebanon and to stifle the necessary scrutiny that outlets like Daraj Media and Megaphone News have provided through their reporting of the role of powerful actors in creating and prolonging the financial and economic crisis that continues to have a devastating impact on people’s rights.

“The Lebanese authorities must immediately dismiss the complaint and ensure independent media are able to continue their work without fear of intimidation or harassment.”

The targeting of these media outlets represents a dangerous escalation in ongoing efforts to intimidate independent journalism in Lebanon and to stifle the necessary scrutiny that outlets like Daraj Media and Megaphone News have provided through their reportingKristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa

The authorities’ prompt response to complaints against journalists also stands in stark contrast to the slower pace at which investigations into allegations of corruption and other misconduct, including torture, have progressed.

Moreover, the proceedings against Daraj Media and Megaphone News are flouting domestic laws regarding criminal investigations, including those establishing safeguards for journalists. Both Daraj Media and Megaphone News confirmed receiving notification of the summons through a phone call and that they were not provided with written detail of the charges being brought against them or the legal basis for their summons.

Article 147 of Lebanon’s Code of Criminal Procedure requires that summons must be provided in writing, and the document must include, among other things, the offence that is the subject of the investigation and the legal provision(s) on which it is based. Additionally, the Publications Law requires that complaints based on journalistic work are handled through the Publications Court, rather than the public prosecutor. The summons follows a broader smear and disinformation campaign over the past weeks against Daraj Media and Megaphone News led by non-state actors and entities with ties to political and economic power centers.

Amnesty International has documented a worrying increase in the use of vague legal provisions to harass and intimidate journalists, activists, and critics in Lebanon, with thousands targeted by criminal investigations since the onset of the economic crisis in 2019. The summons against Daraj and Megaphone News are yet another example of the misuse of these provisions in an attempt to suppress critical voices.