In a judicial ruling, the first of its kind in Lebanon, the single criminal judge in Beirut, Rosine Hajili, issued a ruling against media figure Dima Sadek, convicting her of the crimes of slander, defamation, and inciting sectarian strife. This judgment came in response to a complaint filed against her by lawyer Majed Boueiz on behalf of the "Free Patriotic Movement," accusing her of fabricating lies and falsely accusing the youth of the Free Patriotic Movement of being racist and labeling the party as a Nazi group.
The Media and Communication Committee of the "Free Patriotic Movement" welcomed the ruling and stated in a released statement: "Today, the Lebanese judiciary vindicated the Free Patriotic Movement and convicted media figure Dima Sadek of slander, defamation, and inciting sectarian strife." The statement conveyed that "the wisdom behind this ruling is that the truth prevails, no matter how long it takes." According to the issued ruling, Sadek is to be imprisoned for one year, stripped of her civil rights, and fined 110 million Lebanese pounds.
In turn, lawyer Majed Boueiz, the legal representative of Deputy Gebran Bassil, published the text of the ruling on his Twitter account and said: "Dima Sadek, your words are not true, but our promise is true. You slandered the youth of the movement; our promise to pursue you stands and today the judiciary has vindicated us and condemned you."
For her part, Dima Sadek responded to the court's decision, publishing an explanatory video on her Twitter account, in which she detailed what she considered "a precedent in Lebanese media." She stated: "Gebran Bassil obtained a judicial decision to imprison me for one year without suspension from the criminal court through Judge Rosine Hajili in an exceptional precedent. Yes, in Lebanon, journalists are being imprisoned due to slander and defamation lawsuits. Of course, I will appeal, and the struggle continues."
