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Reactions Pour In After News of Riad Salameh’s Hunger Strike

News that former Banque du Liban governor Riad Salameh has begun a hunger strike while in detention has sparked strong reactions across Lebanon.

Salameh, who served as Lebanon’s central bank governor for 30 years, has become one of the central figures associated with the country’s financial collapse, which wiped out the life savings of hundreds of thousands of depositors and devastated the economy. He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing but is facing multiple corruption investigations in Lebanon and abroad.

After being transferred from Bhannes Hospital to Roumieh Prison a couple of days ago, Salameh is reportedly refusing food, water, and his medication. His legal team and family say his health has significantly deteriorated and have called for him to be hospitalized under intensive medical supervision. A voice note from his treating physician, Dr. Alexandre Khoury, addressed to Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Ahmad Hajjar, warned that his condition was worsening. Judicial authorities, however, have said that medical examinations found his condition to be stable and that he remains under medical supervision.

You can hear the voice note here:

Here were some noteworthy reactions:

Ricardo Karam: “Lebanon does not need another selective prosecution”

Media personality Ricardo Karam said he has known Salameh and his family for many years and acknowledged their personal friendship. At the same time, he noted that he was also among the millions who lost savings and investments during Lebanon’s financial collapse.

Rather than focusing on Salameh’s hunger strike, Karam argued that this could be his opportunity to finally reveal who else was involved. “Few people believe that one man alone could have brought Lebanon to one of the worst financial collapses in modern history. He added that if politicians, bankers, regulators, or other decision-makers shared responsibility, the Lebanese people deserve to know, saying accountability cannot stop with one individual if the evidence points further.

Sam El Khoury: “Lebanon doesn’t need another martyr, it needs a witness”

Environmental activist Sam El Khoury took an even firmer stance, arguing that a hunger strike serves no one if the truth remains hidden. He described Salameh’s refusal to eat and take medication as “the last card left” for someone who had spent decades wielding power, insisting that what Lebanon actually needs is a full account of what happened. “Don’t stop eating. Start talking.”

Khoury called on Salameh to reveal everyone involved in the financial system that led to the collapse, from political figures to bankers and anyone who helped facilitate the movement of funds abroad. He argued that a confession would carry far more weight than a hunger strike, saying the people who lost their savings deserve to know who was responsible.

Other reactions from Twitter

Our hearts go out to the hundreds of thousands of people whose life savings disappeared during Lebanon’s financial collapse, and to those who stood in long lines outside banks, pleading for access to their own money to pay for healthcare, education, and basic necessities.