Minister of Information in the caretaker government, Ziad Makhari, rejected, in a talk with "Voice of Lebanon," the imprisonment of journalists "regardless of the situation," noting that "the judiciary related to media law is outdated, and court procedures are unclear." He pointed out that work is underway on a new media law derived from the existing law in the Administration and Justice Committee, aimed at abolishing the Press Court and having media cases handled by ordinary law, emphasizing the avoidance of imprisonment regardless of the crimes, and replacing imprisonment with fines to eliminate ambiguities.
He added: "The new amended law distinguishes between publishing through social media and the virtual digital presence of media institutions with administrative structures on these platforms." He confirmed the "ineffectiveness of the complaints submitted by partisan entities," stating: "I see no defamation in Dima Sadiq's tweet," referring to "the positive amendments to the law that take into account the rapid technological developments in collaboration with UNESCO." He noted that "there is no perfect law," announcing his intention "to collaborate with parliamentary blocs to pass this law and implement it to keep Lebanon a country of freedoms and to protect journalists." He underscored that "the ongoing chaos requires organization, reflecting on the judiciary by creating a clear media law."
