(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — A lawsuit was filed against Al-Jazeera TV anchor Faisal al-Qassem on Monday by Lebanese lawyers over anti-Army remarks he made over the weekend.
Qassem is widely recognized as an anti-regime Syrian journalist and host of Al-Itijah al-Muakis on Al-Jazeera.
Qassem posted on his Twitter account that the only achievements of the Lebanese Army has been shooting video clips with Lebanese singers Wael Kfoury, Najwa Karam, Elissa, and Haifa Wehbe.
Outraged by the comments, a delegation of Lebanese lawyers filed a lawsuit against Qassem for violating Articles 295 and 157 of the Lebanese Penal Code.
According to a statement released by the lawyers Monday, the purpose behind the lawsuit was Qassem’s remarks amounted to a “provocation of Lebanese public opinion through indirect incitement against the Army.”
His tweets are a violation of Article 295 of the penal law, according to the statement.
In addition to voicing contempt against the Army via a publicized medium mentioned in Article 209, Qassem has also violated Article 157, which can result in imprisonment for up to three years.
A group of Lebanese activists held a protest at the offices of Al-Jazeera television station in Beirut Sunday expressing anger over comments made by a journalist against the Lebanese Army.
Lebanon’s state prosecution office called Qassem for a hearing on October 8.