Freedom Of The Press

The Press Club Brussels hosted a conference concerning the freedom of the media and it's work when dealing the Internatoinal Justice system. It centred on a case brought by the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon or STL, set up to investigate the 2005 assisination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, against Al-Jadeed of Lebanon and one of its leading journalists and Vice Chair Kharma Khayat, who was in attendance on the day at the Press Club.

AL-Jadeed have been charged by the STL for contempt of court over alleged publication of witnesses' details, relating to broadacsts in 2012 on the case. Howveer Al-Jadeed maintain they kept the witnesses identities secret, adding that they received the details through leaks from tribunal sources, something the STL denies. They added that the aim of their broadcasts was to denounce mistakes, such as the leaking of sensitive information to the press.

Meanwhile the STL states the core of the charges against Al-Jadeed is the ability to conduct it's work without outisde interference, yet also deny that this case impinges on press freedom. For more on this Owen Stafford, stayed behind to speak with Ms Khayat about the case against her #AlJadeed #Lebanon