On Thursday, April 20, 2023, the Beirut Bar Association (BBA) Council summoned Nizar Saghieh, a Lebanese lawyer, human rights defender, and director of the NGO Legal Agenda, in response to Mr. Saghieh's critique of a modification made to the BBA’s Code of Ethics. This modification was passed on March 3, and it imposes restrictions on lawyers from publicly expressing their opinions in the media without prior authorization from the President of the BBA.
According to a statement by Front Line Defenders, this amendment is in violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Lebanon ratified in 1972. Moreover, the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers stress that the primary responsibility for safeguarding lawyers rests primarily with states, while bar associations also share in this obligation (Principle 25). Additionally, Principle 23 states, “Lawyers like other citizens are entitled to freedom of expression, belief, association, and assembly. In particular, they shall have the right to take part in public discussion of matters concerning the law, the administration of justice and the promotion and protection of human rights and to join or form local, national or international organizations and attend their meetings, without suffering professional restrictions by reason of their lawful action or their membership in a lawful organization. In exercising these rights, lawyers shall always conduct themselves in accordance with the law and the recognized standards and ethics of the legal profession.”
The Samir Kassir Foundation monitored the social media reactions in Lebanon regarding this issue. The goal is to gauge the stance of Lebanese public opinion on critical freedom of expression debates. To ensure accuracy and efficiency in this monitoring process, SKF has partnered with a data service provider, Reputell. This company has access to substantial amounts of data and the software to sift through it and extract relevant content. This approach enhances our ability to comprehend whether discussions around the case study are being reflected in the online sphere and, if so, in what manner. It is important to note that this study does not offer a comprehensive view of the digital landscape; rather, its purpose is to spotlight significant participants, utilized platforms, and potential patterns in as lifelike a manner as possible. This report is the fourth in a series that leverages such technology to provide a more distinct insight into the conversations occurring in the Lebanese online domain concerning contentious freedom of expression matters.
This report is the fourth in a series that employs such technology to provide a clearer picture of the discussions taking place in the Lebanese online sphere regarding controversial freedom of expression debates.
The monitoring period for this study is from April 18, 2023 – May 1, 2023.
