From Hong Kong to Iraq to Chile, massive street protests have erupted in recent months over frustration with political injustice, widespread unemployment and corruption.But in Lebanon, where most media outlets have FILE – Anti-government protesters enable flashlights on their mobile phones as they shout slogans during a protest in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Dec. 15, 2019.”It’s only smart not to name your leadership because they can kill them, they can character assassinate them, they can jail them,” Khoury said, referring to a series of political assassinations that, since 2005, targeted Lebanese leaders opposed the Syrian-backed regime in Lebanon.”We’ve seen that happen a million times, so people have learned,” he says.One victim was Gebran Tueni, a politician and, at the time of his assassination, editor of An Nahar newspaper.Tueni’s daughter, Nayla al-Tueni, a one-time politician and An Nahar ’s acting editor-in-chief, says her father would be proud of the patriotism that has united Lebanese citizens across faiths and political sects in the movement.”Fifteen years after they killed him, he is still present, he is still here in the heart of the people,” she told VOA. “They want people like him, they want people who are thinking of the country, the best for the country, of a free Lebanon.”Financial straits, charges of meddlingBut An Nahar, a leading Arabic-language daily, is struggling to survive Lebanon’s economic and political crises, even launching a campaign called #donateink asking readers to financially support their newsroom.Long known as a pro-Western, center-left, family-owned publication that isn’t tied to any particular party, An Nahar was once described as “FILE – An anti-government protester is sprayed with a water cannon as he records video with his mobile phone during a protest in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 22, 2020.Although government officials did not respond to VOA requests for commentary, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has FILE – People use their phones to take pictures of an ATM machine damaged by anti-government protesters in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 15, 2020.Attacking ATMsSince protests aimed at the country’s elite erupted on Oct. 17, commercial banks seen as bearing part of the blame for the crisis have been targeted, including in late-night riots last week that left bank facades smashed and ATMs destroyed in Beirut’s Hamra district.The unrest grew increasingly violent on January 15 and 16, when police armed with batons and tear gas injured and arrested dozens as protesters lit fires and smashed bank facades and ATMs.Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) said 100 policemen were injured, while a security service source told the Associated Press at least 80 protesters were injured and another 72 were arrested.Many of those in detention were quickly released, the source said.In November, one protester was shot and killed after an altercation with Lebanese soldiers near Beirut; army officials said the troop, who had since been detained for investigation, opened fire to disperse the crowd.Human Rights Watch on Friday called on Lebanon’s Interior Ministry to hold police officers accountable for using excessive force to arrest a group of largely peaceful protesters on Jan. 15.”At around 9:15 p.m., the Internal Security Force’s riot police charged onto the crowds, firing large amounts of teargas at protesters, beating some severely, and violently arresting at least 55,” said a statement by the New York-based rights group. “Riot police also beat at least eight media workers covering the protests and briefly detained three.”On Tuesday, Amnesty International decried the use of force against protesters following violence over the weekend that left hundreds wounded.This story originated in VOA’s French to Africa Service. Pete Cobus contributed reporting from Washington.
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