Wow, he said it, he said it: lebanons. Yeah, hehehe.
Posted on 08/09/2002 5:34:46 PM PDT by knighthawk
A prosecutor in Lebanon has laid charges against an opposition television station, the second case brought against an outlet run by Christians in one week. Murr Television has been accused of slandering the country's president and its security services, as well as damaging the country's ties with Syria, which is the major political force in Lebanon and maintains troops there.
The charges, laid on Thursday, name the station itself, the host of the Referendum political talk show, Ziad Njeim, and the station's director of political programming, Boulos Haddad.
The charges follow similar accusations against Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International, the most popular Christian-owned channel, announced on Tuesday.
Many Christians oppose Syria's continued influence in Lebanon, where it maintains 20,000 troops.
Charges unclear
A spokesman for Murr Television said it was unclear what the charges against it referred to specifically.
"We know which episode they are talking about, but they have not given us any other details," the spokesman said.
In the list of charges, obtained by Reuters news agency, prosecutor Joseph Mimari accuses the Referendum talk show of "broadcasting material whose nature it is to damage ties to a sister state" - meaning Syria.
The station is also accused of undermining Lebanon's social order.
The show in question was broadcast in July, and discussed freedom of the press.
Election law
Gabriel Murr, majority owner of Murr Television, told the Associated Press that the channel could not be responsible for the opinions expressed on its talk show.
In the other case, against Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International, Mr Mimari accuses the station of inciting sectarian strife.
At issue was its coverage of a shooting by a Muslim civil servant that left eight co-workers dead, seven of them Christians.
If convicted, the Murr Television personnel named could face an unspecified period of hard labour, court sources told Reuters.
The channel also faces a charge of violating the country's election law, when it allegedly supported Mr Murr in his successful by-election for a seat in parliament against his niece, Mirna Murr.
Why do lesbians need another broadcasting station ;)
Wow, he said it, he said it: lebanons. Yeah, hehehe.
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