Military Court Clears Comedian Nour Hajjar Over Army Joke
Lebanese stand-up comedian Nour Hajjar has been officially cleared by the military court in Beirut, bringing an end to a case that began back in August 2023 over a joke made during one of his live performances.
Hajjar, along with Awkword founder and producer Danny Abou Jaoude, had been ridiculously prosecuted over a joke made in a stand-up show that circulated online, in which Hajjar joked about Lebanese army soldiers working as Toters delivery drivers due to the country’s economic collapse. The clip was taken from a stand-up set performed at Awkword and later circulated online.
The case was based on Article 157 of Lebanon’s Military Code of Justice, which criminalizes insulting or harming the reputation of the military institution. On Tuesday December 9th, the permanent military court in Beirut found that there were no grounds for conviction and ruled in favor of both Hajjar and Abou Jaoude.
What the Court Considered
During the hearing, Hajjar told the court that the joke was never intended to insult or belittle the army. Instead, he explained that the goal was to highlight the difficult living conditions faced by soldiers amid Lebanon’s financial collapse.
Hopefully, this ruling marks a turning point, and an end to the exhausting pursuit of comedians over jokes, while far more serious crimes continue to go unresolved.
In the meantime, be sure to follow Awkword Comedy and their line-up of comedians and check out their always entertaining shows.
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