Three Lebanese Journalists Are Being Sued For Sharing A Censored Cartoon

Recently, a caricature by the French magazine Courrier Inter was shared on social media by journalists, activists, and citizens depicting the Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with lightening bolts coming out of his head, seemingly zapping protestors around him. The caricature was drawn commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The caricature, drawn by Marco de Angeles, was censored by the Lebanese General Security and consequently banned from print and circulation but many Lebanese figures, activists, and journalists chose to share the image in protest of this censorship.

Journalists Nadim Koteich, Dima Sadek, and Omar Harkous, as well as photographer Wael Ladki are now facing legal repercussions after an activist named Fadi Hodroj filed a complaint against them.

It is unclear whether or not this tweet from Hodroj was meant for journalist Dima Sadek:

يا اعلامية يا حرّة إنتي:
معك حق هو غلطان.. عيب ينشر هيك عنها.. صح!
لكن انت مين اعطاك الحق تهيني الرجل لأنه أهان صديقتك؟
ذات الحق الذي منحتيه لنفسك بأنك تهيني الرجل كرمال صديقتك، أخذه مليون شيعي في لبنان وأهانوها كرمال مرجعهم الذي تطاولت عليه ونشرت صورته بهذا الشكل للسخرية منه!

— Fadi Hodroj (@FadiHodroj) February 19, 2019

You can check out some of the responses that arose on social media here, here, and here.