ARTICLE 19 is deeply concerned by the criminal defamation charge and pre-trial detention of Lebanese human rights lawyer Dr. Muhamad Mugraby, who is due to appear before the Military Court in Beirut on March 20th charged with slandering the military establishment and its officers. Detained since August 8th, if found guilty Dr. Moghraby may be sentenced to up to three years imprisonment. ARTICLE 19 condemns the use of slander provisions which criminalise criticism of the government and official bodies, and the use of the military court system for the trial of civilians.

The imprisonment of Dr. Moghraby makes a mockery of the commitments to democratic changes made by the Lebanese authorities since the withdrawal of Syrian troops said Dr. Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19. We are profoundly concerned by the imprisonment of Dr. Mugraby and call for his immediate and unconditional release.

Dr. Mugraby was accused of slander after delivering a speech to a European Parliament's Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries and the Gulf States in Belgium on 4 November 2003. In the speech, Mugraby criticised Lebanon's military-court system and the inadequate legal training provided to judges. He also denounced the alleged ill-treatment and torture employed by military courts to extract confessions from suspects.

ARTICLE 19 expresses concern that the case against Dr Mugraby falls within a pattern of harassment that may be related to his legitimate work in defense of human rights in Lebanon. In 1995 he was charged with defaming the state of Lebanon and its judiciary, a case that was finally dismissed in 2001. In an ongoing case against him, pending before the Beirut Court of Appeal, Dr. Mugraby was arrested then released on bail three weeks later, for his alleged "impersonation of a lawyer". These repeated intimidations violate international standards on the rights and freedoms of lawyers and judges, such as those enshrined in the UN Basic principles of the role of lawyers.

Following the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April 2005, which marked the end of 30 years of control, many hoped that this would signal the beginning of a new era of reform and democratization. The trial of Dr. Mugraby sends out a negative message to the international community as to the commitment of the Lebanese government to honor the democratic principles it advocates, including the freedom of speech of its citizens, guaranteed under Article 19 of the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights), Article 19 of the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) to which Lebanon is a State party and Article 13 of the Lebanese Constitution.

ARTICLE 19 calls upon the Lebanese authorities to: