Issue No. 603
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12 - 18 September 2002 Issue No. 603 Region |
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Shutting down the opposition
The Lebanese media has been outraged by a court's decision to shut down an opposition television channel. Zeina Abu Rizk reports from Beirut
In a new move that might threaten Lebanon's already fragile political stability, a court decided last week to shut MTV (Murr Television) and RML (Radio Mont-Liban). The court resorted to Internal Security Forces (ISF) and army forces to enforce the highly controversial legal verdict. This decision has clear political ramifications.
Implemented last Wednesday, the decision stipulated the "complete closure" of MTV and RML, both of which are majority owned by leading Christian opposition figure and Parliament member, Gabriel Murr. The move provoked outrage in the country, as politicians from all sides, as well as media executives, maintained a unified front stressing public freedoms and criticising the judiciary's move.
The court cited Article 68 of the Parliamentary Election Law, which stipulates "complete closure" for stations found to have broadcast election propaganda during the campaign period. The verdict also accused MTV of violating electoral law earlier this summer to promote Murr's parliamentary campaign.
Murr became an elected member of Parliament last June, having won the Metn bi-elections over his niece Myrna Murr. Gabriel Murr's victory constituted a defeat over the opposition loyalist camp, of which Myrna Murr's father, Michel Murr, is one of the main pillars, and also marked Gabriel's triumph against his brother Michel, the two having been at odds for years.
Placed in this context, the MTV closure seems to be a new tug of war between the two brothers, and has been construed in many political circles as Michel Murr's revenge over Gabriel. Both the Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, and Orthodox Archbishop, Elias Aude, denounced the 'ugly' family feud and its intolerable effect on public life.
However, the verdict could also have another, equally significant, political motive. The decision to close one of Lebanon's main opposition television stations two years before the next presidential elections, in which Lebanese President Emile Lahoud's term could be extended or renewed, could be a general message to the media about the limits of their freedoms.
The court viewed six videotapes of MTV broadcasting and heard two cassettes from RML from the summer election period.
Shortly after the court decision, ISF and army troops descended on the station's Ashrafieh headquarters and on its production company in Naccashe, Eastern Beirut.
According to the, New York-based, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), ISF personnel raided MTV and RML, roughed up employees and forcibly shut down the stations. MTV employees said the ISF started throwing them out of their offices without even giving them the chance to collect their personal effects.
The US government voiced its opposition to the forced closure of MTV. A statement released by the US embassy in Beirut stated that the US was "deeply troubled" by the decision. Similar comments were also made by the French embassy's spokesman, prompting a harsh reaction from Lebanese politicians against what they considered unacceptable foreign interference in domestic politics.
The US embassy's statement argued that the shutdown called into question the country's commitment to press freedoms because the "legal justification for this action was based primarily on the content of MTV's programming."
"This unfortunate incident is at odds with Lebanon's long history of commitment to freedom of speech and political expression," the statement added. "We believe that Lebanon's long-term interests are best served by permitting the expression of a multitude of opinion that represents Lebanon's rich and diverse society."
The Press Federation and Journalists Union held a national conference for the defence of freedom on Monday, condemning the MTV closure and asking for the annulment of the judiciary's decision. However, proceedings at the conference were marred by divisions that surfaced among participants, believed to have been instigated by security services.
Gabriel Murr has submitted a challenge against the Judiciary's decision, which, according to legal experts, contains enough legal loopholes to be nullified.
Significantly, the government, in particular Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, remained silent on the issue, avoiding it during Thursday's cabinet session last week.
This reluctance to adopt a clear stand appeared to confirm that the issue had already been discussed in higher political spheres, probably involving security services and the presidency, and was unlikely to be changed.
The judiciary's credibility was again put at stake, amid mounting complaints of what was seen to be an unjustified decision instigated by the political authorities. The judiciary was accused of acting 'selectively', choosing to deal immediately with some files while totally neglecting others. Local authorities, however, maintained that the decision to close MTV, was a legal matter, with no political ramifications.
In addition, the unexpected move has brought to the forefront the fundamental question of which authority should address media issues. Information Minister Ghazi Aridi, who was the first to vehemently criticise the Judiciary's decision to close MTV, appeared to have no say over the latest developments. Similarly, the local National Media Council's power over media issues seems to be in a state of perpetual decline.
This has left plenty of room for security services to interfere in the media business, which remains highly influential in shaping Lebanese politics.
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