Human rights defender and lawyer Khaled W. Al Sabbagh subject to ongoing defamation campaign led by Lebanese security agencies
Front Line Defenders expresses deep concern regarding the safety and security of Lebanese human rights defender and lawyer Khaled W. Al Sabbagh. Khaled W. Al Sabbagh has been facing a defamation campaign led by Lebanese security agencies who are suggesting amongst his colleagues and local community that the false accusations of espionage and the formation of an armed group made against the human rights defender are likely true. By turning Khaled W. Al Sabbagh’s community and colleagues against him and making them suspicious of the human rights defender in the current Lebanese context, the Lebanese security agencies are creating a hostile environment which could endanger his and his family members lives.
Khaled W. Al Sabbagh is a Lebanese lawyer and human rights defender. He is the lead of the advocacy and rights executive unit at “Tripoli Coalition of Advocates”, a group of experts and actors dedicated to advancing transparency, accountability, and policy reform. In addition, he is the head of strategic advocacy and communication component at “AnaHon”, an independent media platform based in Tripoli, Lebanon. Khaled W. Al Sabbagh mainly operates in areas affected by armed conflict and represents the interests of human rights defenders targeted for their human rights work, including as a result of the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation. Since 2017, as a consequence of his activities and his direct work in defence of human rights, Khaled W. Al Sabbagh has been facing a growing number of instances of harassment, threats, and intimidation.
On 9 October 2024 at 4 am, Khaled W. Al Sabbagh, who was accompanying home his mentally distressed client and his client’s brother, was unlawfully arrested together with his two clients by the 12th Brigade of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The arrest was made after his mentally ill client, during a panic attack, falsely accused Khaled W. Al Sabbagh and his own brother of conspiracy and espionage, attempted theft and murder and formation of an armed group. The human rights defender and his two clients were then transferred to the custody of the military police. Khaled W. Al Sabbagh was denied the opportunity to clarify his presence as a legal attorney or to explain the situation and mental state of his client. Instead, his identification card that proved his affiliation with the Tripoli Bar Association was confiscated along with his phone. He was neither given the right to call or inform the Tripoli Bar Association of his arrest as required by the law nor to communicate with his family.
On 9 October 2024 at 8 am, Khaled W. Al Sabbagh was handcuffed in a humiliating manner in front of the door of the Military Police Detention Centre. After six hours, he identified a fellow lawyer passing by and immediately asked her to inform a fellow attorney and the Tripoli Bar Association of his location. He was then held in a small cell under high security monitoring at a Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Military Police Detention Centre in Qoubbeh, Tripoli.
During his time at the Military Police Detention Centre, the human rights defender was brought in for questioning. Throughout the interrogation, Khaled W. Al Sabbagh was asked several times if he wished to continue to criticize the work of the Military Tribunal and affiliated security agencies. He was specifically questioned about the content of a podcast that he published on the media platform of which he is the head of strategic advocacy and communication, ‘AnaHon’. On this podcast, Khaled W. Al Sabbagh hosted fellow advocate and human rights defender Mohamad Sablouh and the pair discussed human rights violations committed by the Lebanese security agencies as well as harmful policies of the security agencies and the Military Tribunal relating to procedural issues such as the arrest and prosecution of Lebanese youth, torture during interrogation, and the delay of processing claims of torture and unlawful detention.
On 9 October 2024 at 9.30 pm, the human rights defender was released without charge. Since then, Khaled W. Al Sabbagh has been receiving many calls from colleagues and community members informing him that security agencies have been enquiring about him in relation to the above mentioned accusations. In the current specific Lebanese context, people are easily triggered. Thus, making Khaled W. Al Sabbagh’s fellow lawyers and community members suspicious by spreading accusations of espionage even after criminal charges were dropped, could put the lives of the human rights defender and his family members in danger.
Front Line Defenders is alarmed by the defamation campaign led by Lebanese security agencies against the human rights lawyer Khaled W. Al Sabbagh, purporting that he has been involved in acts of espionage. Front Line Defenders believes that the harassment of human rights lawyers, such as Khaled W. Al Sabbagh and Mohamad Sablouh, is a reprisal solely in response to their legitimate human rights work in an attempt to silence them. The organisation believes that these actions can have a chilling effect on the work of lawyers and human rights defenders, and reiterates the role such actions can play in undermining access to effective and independent legal assistance.
