Dima Sadek has been sentenced to one year in jail following a lawsuit filed against her by Free Patriotic Movement leader, Gebran Bassil, accusing her of defamation as well as inciting sectarian tensions.
This legal action was filed three years ago after Bassil alleged that Sadek had intentionally stoked conflict between various religious groups and vilified his political party.
The lawsuit was triggered by a viral video of citizens accompanied by Ziad Aswad, physically and verbally attacking a man in Keserwan and screaming at him “What are you doing here? Where did you come from, Tripoli?”
In a tweet, Sadek denounced the racially motivated attack, criticized the perpetrators for their actions, and compared them to Nazis.
The court has handed down its ruling, which sentences Sadek to one year in prison and imposes a fine of 110,000,000 LBP ($1,208) as compensation for moral harm caused to the Free Patriotic Movement.
In light of that decision, Dima posted a response video on her social media explaining the situation, ending it by questioning freedom of speech in Lebanon – confirming she will appeal the decision.
