The Daily Star
A Daily Star photographer and a number of other journalists were beaten by Lebanese soldiers Sunday while covering daylong protests against the country’s worsening living conditions.
In a video circulated on TV and social media, Hasan Shaaban of The Daily Star can be seen being grabbed by the neck by a soldier, and then brought to the ground and beaten by several other soldiers as he covered the protest in Ras al-Nabeh neighborhood of Beirut.
“They came after me after I took a photo of them grabbing one of the protesters,” Shaaban said. “I told them I am a journalist and showed them my press card, but they continued beating me.”
Another video circulating showed soldiers coming Shaaban’s way before he was grabbed, asking him what he was taking pictures of. “Are you taking photos of the Army?” one soldier shouted.
“Put it down, put it down!” soldiers shouted while Shaaban could be heard yelling, “Press, press!” in the background.
A senior military source assured The Daily Star the Army would look into the incident.
Shaaban wasn’t the only journalist targeted while covering the protest, which was attended by a few thousand people. Security forces also beat up photographers and journalists from other local outlets.
As the protesters headed to Hamra St., Al-Jadeed reporter Rachel Karam and cameraman Zakaria al-Khatib were following them and met with a group of security forces members, who hit them.
The attack left Khatib’s hand broken and the camera damaged, according to the outlet. The military source could not be reached Sunday for immediate comment on the Al-Jadeed incident.
The protest was called for by multiple activist groups on social media, including the Sabaa Party and the Lebanese Communist Party, to express outrage over the monthslong government formation deadlock and myriad other issues that have long plagued Lebanon.