2019 and 2018 witnessed alarming developments in the use of archaic media laws to arrest, interrogate and prosecute people over social media posts in Lebanon. According to digital rights group Social Media Exchange (SMEX), the number of cases brought over online posts more than quadrupled between 2017 and 2018. We’re talking about 6 cases in 2016, vs 9 in 2017, 41 in 2018 and 27 so far in 2019.

What is needed is a new law similar that protects against such practices. Until then, the months and years to come will witness more degradation in freedom of expression.

Check out this great report done by Megaphone with the support of SMEX on that issue: