BEIRUT: A group of Lebanese MPs said the Special Tribunal for Lebanon had usurped the legislature's powers by prosecuting journalists from Al-Jadeed, hinting that the court should drop contempt charges against the TV station and its top editor, in the first formal protest from Lebanon against the controversial case.
"We write to you with our constitutional power as representatives of the Lebanese people with a legislative role that has put us on the front lines of public freedoms and qualified us over the years to become a shield that protects journalists, who seek it at times of oppression and internal and external interference," the MPs said in a letter to the court, that was published on its website. "
The MPs said they must defend Lebanese media institutions and urged the court to focus on its primary mandate of prosecuting those responsible for the 2005 bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others.
The letter said the tribunal had usurped the powers of the Lebanese legislature by prosecuting the journalists.
The STL accused Karma al-Khayyat, the deputy head of news at Al-Jadeed, and Ibrahim al-Amin, the editor of Al-Akhbar newspaper, of contempt of court after both news outlets published reports that included personal details of alleged court witnesses.
Both journalists face a maximum punishment of seven years in prison, a fine of 100,000 euros or both. The Lebanese MPs protested the punishments as overly harsh.
It was unclear which MPs had jointly approved the letter, which was filed before Contempt Judge Nicola Lettieri.
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