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A screenshot of a page from the Virtual Museum of Censorship featuring banned books.(photo bycensorshiplebanon.org)

Author:Florence Massena Posted June 6, 2017

What is censored more often in Lebanon: sex or politics? It depends on the timing, according to the Virtual Museum of Censorship, an online database tracking banned and censored material since Lebanese independence in 1943.

Having become familiar with some of the material, Gino Raidy, the vice president of MARCH, the nongovernmental organization (NGO) behind the museum, told Al-Monitor, Different trends could be observed according to the decades. In the 1940s, it mostly involved mentioning Israel.

Raidy said, In the 1950s-1960s, sexual explicitness was tolerated, but not political discussions. In the early 2000s, there was strong opposition to heavy metal. People would be arrested in the streets for wearing a heavy metal band T-shirt as many thought it was satanic. What stood to be censored became clearer after the Syrian army left in 2005, mostly focusing on sectarian and politics-related material. Nowadays, we note that LGBT art and events are getting targeted more and more.

The virtual museum aims to identify not only what has been banned and censored, but also the reasons behind it, in an effort to present the big picture when it comes to limits on freedom of expression in Lebanon. The database launched on May 24, with an event at Phoenicia University, in Mazraat al-Daoudiyeh, in the south. An exhibition of panels and blackboards with words and names of individuals redacted to symbolize information omitted through censorship was followed by a discussion among free speech experts and activists. Participants included lawyer Hussein el-Achi, photojournalist Hussein Baydoun, author and activist Joumana Haddad, journalist and activist Luna Safwan and graffiti artist Omar Kabbani.

In 2013 in Beirut, MARCH had organized Censorship in Lebanon, An Uncensored Look, a panel discussion on freedom of expression. Looking ahead, the team hopes to organize others in Tripoli after the end of Ramadan and maybe in the Bekaa Valley.

We believe that getting out of Beirut is important not only to inform people about censorship but also to have more discussions, address a different crowd living in rural areas and see what they think about the issue, said Raidy, who is also a blogger. Virtually, anyone can see what cultural material has been banned and censored, as well as what journalists and activists have been through when it comes to the expression of certain issues. We also invite people to submit entries if they hear about something new.

Control over every cultural product in Lebanon is based on a law or decree, as detailed in Censorship in Lebanon: Law and Practice, a 2010 study by Nizar Saghieh, Rana Saghieh and Nayla Geagea, who are lawyers and members of The Legal Agenda, an NGO that follows socio-legal developments in Lebanon and the broader Middle East.

Censorship of films in Lebanon is based on four very vague principles: respect for public morals, respect for the reputation or status of state authorities, respect for the sensitivities of the public and avoiding sectarian or religious incitement, and resisting calls that are unfavorable to the interests of Lebanon, Ghida Frangieh, a lawyer with The Legal Agenda, told Al-Monitor. If the General Security, which is a security agency, wants to ban a film, it must refer it to an administrative committee, which reviews the film and gives its recommendation to the Ministry of Interior, which will make the final decision. The procedure is not transparent, and most of the time, the reason why a film is censored or banned is not given.

To this, Raidy added, From the data we collected, the two main organizations asking General Security for censorship are first the Catholic Information Center and then Dar al-Fatwa, the leading Sunni religious institution in the country.

For example, in Nadine Labakis filmWhere Do We Go Now (2012), a scene with a priest and a sheikh speaking to the public through the local mosques loudspeaker was cut. More recently, a Druze cleric's apparition was masked by a black dot in Philippe Aractingis 2017 filmListen /Ismaii. Both decisions were supposedly based on concerns of sectarian incitement.

The Boycott Bureau for Israel also made sure that the name of Steven Spielberg, who has donated money in Israel, would be removed from posters and films, although we can watch them. This was silly, Raidy said. They also asked that Wonder Woman be banned because the lead actress is Israeli.

Two filmmakers recently challenged censorship decisions before the State Council: Danielle Arbid, for her filmBeirut Hotel (2011), and Reine Mitri, for the banning of her documentary In This Land Lay Graves of Mine (2015), about people displaced during the Lebanese civil war. Arbid lost her challenge, with the State Council deciding that censorship was justified because the filmattacked the reputation of the authorities in regard to the investigation of Prime Minister Rafik Hariris assassination in 2005. The censors had disapproved of a scene that referenced a USB memory stick with documents on it about Hariri's death.

The State Council even ruled that General Security can exercise prior censorship of film plots itself, which is a very broad interpretation of the law and an infringement on freedom of expression, Frangieh said. But it hasnt yet ruled on Mitris film, and we hope that the ban will be overturned in the end. Giving a voice to the victims of displacement during the civil war cannot be viewed as inciting sectarian tensions. It is very important for a Lebanese artist to have access to her or his main audience in Lebanon.

According to Raidy, the social impact of censorship in Lebanon is clear. People arent allowed to speak about very important and unsolved things, he said.

About the taboo on discussing the war and displaced people, he said, This is reality. It is silly to forbid people to talk about it. Plus, the country is very proud of its freedom of speech, and maybe it is not as bad as in the other countries, but not as good as it could be.

Raidy also warned against the dangers of self-censorship, stating, Journalists just dont investigate anymore for fear of getting in trouble. Even local filmdistributors dont procure a filmthat could be a problem for the General Security.

Indeed, many things must remain unsaid in a country that is proud of its liberty.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/06/lebanon-censorship-museum-freedom-of-expression.html

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Online database gives uncensored look into Lebanon's censorship - Al-Monitor

NEW YORK (AP) President Donald Trump may be the nation's tweeter-in-chief, but some Twitter users say he's violating the First Amendment by blocking people from his feed after they posted scornful comments.

Lawyers for two Twitter users sent the White House a letter Tuesday demanding they be un-blocked from the Republican president's @realDonaldTrump account.

"The viewpoint-based blocking of our clients is unconstitutional," wrote attorneys at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The tweeters one a liberal activist, the other a cyclist who says he's a registered Republican have posted and retweeted plenty of complaints and jokes about Trump.

They say they found themselves blocked after replying to a couple of his recent tweets. The activist, Holly O'Reilly, posted a video of Pope Francis casting a sidelong look at Trump and suggested this was "how the whole world sees you." The cyclist, Joe Papp, responded to the president's weekly address by asking why he hadn't attended a rally by supporters and adding, with a hashtag, "fakeleader."

Blocking people on Twitter means they can't easily see or reply to the blocker's tweets.

Although Trump started @realDonaldTrump as a private citizen and Twitter isn't government-run, the Knight institute lawyers argue that he's made it a government-designated public forum by using it to discuss policies and engage with citizens. Indeed, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday that Trump's tweets are "considered official statements by the president."

The institute's executive director, Jameel Jaffer, compares Trump's Twitter account to a politician renting a privately-owned hall and inviting the public to a meeting.

"The crucial question is whether a government official has opened up some space, whether public or private, for expressive activity, and there's no question that Trump has done that here," Jaffer said. "The consequence of that is that he can't exclude people based solely on his disagreement with them."

The users weren't told why they were blocked. Their lawyers maintain that the connection between their criticisms and the cutoff was plain.

Still, there's scant law on free speech and social media blocking, legal scholars note.

"This is an emerging issue," says Helen Norton, a University of Colorado Law School professor who specializes in First Amendment law.

Morgan Weiland, an affiliate scholar with Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society, says the blocked tweeters' complaint could air key questions if it ends up in court. Does the public forum concept apply in privately run social media? Does it matter if an account is a politician's personal account, not an official one?

San Francisco-based Twitter Inc. declined to comment. The tweeters aren't raising complaints about the company.

___

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed from Washington.

More here:
Twitter users, blocked by Trump, cry censorship - CBS46 News - CBS46 News Atlanta

A man who pulled a .45 caliber handgun and shot and killed another man with whom he had been arguing inside a restaurant acted in self defense, police said.

Eric Primus, 49, of Tamarac, was shot at 1:19 p.m. Friday in the parking lot of the Pollo Tropical, 2390 S. University Drive near Nova Drive and the busy Tower Shops, police said.

Primus was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where he died, police said.

The shooter was identified as Cardiff Lindo, 33.

Based on our investigation we believe that Lindo acted in self defense under Florida's Stand Your Ground statute, Davie Police Capt. Dale Engle said in a statement Sunday morning.

Although, Engle added, our investigation continues.

Police said Lindo fired a handgun which he was licensed to carry. Primus was not armed, police said.

Lindo and Primus apparently did not know each other when they began arguing inside the restaurant, according to police. The subject of the argument or how it started was unclear, police said.

Primus and a co-worker entered Pollo Tropical on their lunch break. Primus did not sit with his co-worker, who sat near the window to watch the tools in their work truck, Engle said.

After Primus and Lindo got into an argument, Primus and his co-worker, both employed by Davie-based Jorgensen Contract Services, left the restaurant and sat in their truck in the parking lot, police said.

Lindo remained inside the restaurant for a short period of time and then walked outside toward his vehicle, Engle said.

When Primus saw Lindo, he got out of the truck, confronted Lindo and the two men tussled, Engle said. During that fight, Lindo pulled a handgun and fired several rounds, police said.

Primus was struck once, police said.

After Primus was shot, he managed to get back into the truck and his co-worker drove to a nearby Chevron gas station. There Primus co-worker, who has not been identified by police, yelled for help.

Primus was bleeding profusely as he lay slumped in the passengers seat, according to gas station attendant Simo Boukhar.

Engle said he was heading to the scene at the restaurant when he was flagged down by customers at the gas station.

Not knowing exactly what was happening, Engle said he drew his weapon out as he got out of his car at the Chevron station. But he quickly holstered his gun when he saw Primus face down and bleeding in the trucks passenger seat, he said.

A woman was attempting to render him aide, said Engle. I yelled for others to give me a hand. He was a big man.

Engle, with the help of the woman and other bystanders, got Primus out of the truck and on the ground where they put him on his back, covered a bleeding chest wound with a piece of plastic and applied pressure.

He was shot in the chest, and I feared that he had a collapsed lung, said Engle.

After several minutes a period that Engle said seemed like an eternity paramedics arrived.

Lindo remained at the restaurant and called 911, Engle said.

Lindo surrendered to police and was detained for questioning, Engle said. He was not charged.

Engle said that Lindo cooperated with investigators and the explanation of events provided by Lindo was [corroborated] by witnesses.

Under Floridas 2005 Stand Your Ground, a person is justified in using deadly force in self-defense and has no duty to retreat if the person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.

The law, considered a model used by other states, received national attention after the 2012 killing in Sanford of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. A jury that had been instructed on Floridas law acquitted Zimmerman of second-degree murder.

A new measure that has passed both houses of the Republican-dominated Florida legislature would shift the burden of proof from defendants to prosecutors when the Stand Your Ground law is invoked to avoid trial.

Proponents say the law would protect the constitutional rights of those under investigation after a violent encounter.

Opponents say the measures will embolden gun owners to shoot first.

Staff researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.

mwclary@sunsentinel.com

Read more from the original source:
Gunman in fatal Pollo Tropical shooting fired in self-defense, say police - Sun Sentinel

Former FBI Director James Comey is expected to testify before the Senate intelligence committee on Thursday. President Donald Trump fired Comey from his post last month.

Here, Fox News takes a look at other proceedings that have garnered wide media attention through the years.

The Army-McCarthy hearings, 1954

Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI) faced off against the U.S. Army in hearings broadcast on television in 1954. McCarthy had earlier become the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chairman and had held anticommunist hearings, according to theUnited States Senate website.

"In the spring of 1954, McCarthy picked a fight with the U.S. Army, charging lax security at a top-secret army facility," according to the website. "The army responded that the senator had sought preferential treatment for a recently drafted subcommittee aide."

McCarthy would claimthat an attorney at the same law firm as Joseph Welch had been in a Communist Party-connected group, the website said. (Welch was the special counsel for the U.S. Army.)

WelchtoldMcCarthy, "Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

The Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings, 1991

Clarence Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court by then-President George H.W. Bush. Thomas wentthrough a very contentious confirmation in 1991, when he faced allegations that he sexually harassed Anita Hill when they were colleagues in the federal government.

At the time, Thomas, who would become the second African-American to serve on the court, called televised Senate hearings about Hill's claim a "high-tech lynching."

Thomas would be confirmed, with the Senate voting 52-48 in favor.

The O.J. Simpson trial, 1995

Former professional football player Orenthal James Simpson was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman in June 1994.

Simpson's defense, nicknamed the "Dream Team," consisted of multiple lawyers, including Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz, and Robert Kardashian.

The case has been referred to as the "Trial of the Century." Simpson was found not guilty in October 1995.

It also prompted wide media coverage, including books and the recent FX series "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story." A documentary which covered decades of Simpson's life as well as the murder case, "O.J.: Made in America," won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2016.

Simpson is currently in jail for a 2007 robbery at a Las Vegas hotel. He was convicted of first-degree kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit a violent crime. Simpson said he was trying to retrieve memorabilia and some personal items at the hotel.

Michael Jackson child molestation case, 2005

The King of Pop was accused of molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor. Jackson faced four child molestation charges as part of a total of 10 charges,Fox Newsreported at the time. The musician was acquitted of all charges.

Following Jackson's 2009 death, his personal physician Conrad Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Murray's 2011 trial was televised, and 2.1 million people watched the reading of verdict, according to theHollywood Reporter.

Murraywas convictedin 2011 of giving Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol in June 2009 while the superstar was preparing for a series of comeback concerts titled "This Is It." Murray served two years in prison.

The Casey Anthony murder trial, 2011

Florida mother Casey Anthony was accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony. The girl was supposedly last seen on June 16, 2008; she was first reported missing, by Casey Anthony's mother, on July 15. A day later, Casey Anthony was arrested on charges of child neglect. She told police that Caylee had disappeared with a babysitter.

A utility worker working in a wooded area near the Anthony home on Dec. 11 found skeletal remains that were later determined to be Caylee's. Experts would testify that air samples indicated that decaying human remains had been present in Casey Anthony's trunk.

After a month-and-a-half-long trial, the jury took less than 11 hours to find Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. She was convicted of four counts of lying to police (though two counts were later dropped), and served about three years in prison while awaiting trial.

The George Zimmerman murder trial, 2013

In February 2012, neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman fatally shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in February 2012.

Zimmerman has claimed it was self-defense when he killed Martin, 17, in a gated community near Orlando. Martin, who lived in Miami with his mother, was visiting his father at the time.

Zimmerman, who identifies as Hispanic, was acquitted in Martin's shooting death. The case sparked protests and a national debate about race relations. The Justice Department later decided not to prosecuteZimmermanon civil rights charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

See the rest here:
Comey hearing: Other major live TV news events through the years - Fox News

Yesterday we looked at a warrantless, mass search of Georgia high school students that was almost certainly unconstitutional, and that some students say included touching and probing of their genitals. Today,another disturbing story about what would seem to be clearly unconstitutional searches at a Colorado low-income apartment complex:

The Longmont Housing Authority says it was using the homes of low-income residents to train police drug dogs. There werent warrants, but simply a notice that the landlord was coming, and a police officer and drug dog would be there, too.

The letter to residents of The Suites low-income housing community starts with standard stuff, notifying them of an inspection. Thats what landlords across Colorado do.

Then it mentions that the police officer and drug dog. Nowhere in the letter are residents told that while they must let the landlord in, they do not have to allow the police officer and drug dog inside without a warrant. And then, if the officer does come inside, anything they find is fair game.

The head of the complex isKrystal Winship Erazo, and she appears to have no concept whatsoever of the Fourth Amendment.

Two months ago, there were some rumors and some concerns about drug activity on the property and one way we found to address it was to invite a partnership with the Longmont Police Department to invite the canines over on their training day, Erazo said in an interview with 9NEWS. Usually it helps the residents feel really secure in that were following up, were holding residents accountable, its an opportunity for the dogs to train.

Ill go ahead and write this, because apparently needs to be written: Low-incomepeople havethe same rights as everyone else. Low-income people are not the equivalent of tackling dummies, or lab rats or volunteers on some police training course.You cantuse poor people to train your police dogs.

Erazo then spoutsthe hackneyedline of every Fourth Amendment authoritarian everywhere.

If there is concern, it kind of sparks some curiosity for me, Erazo said. You know, what are they concerned about if (the officers) only job is to ensure there arent drugs in the unit?

It sparks some curiosity is a euphemistic way of saying poor people who dont want cops going through their stuff can only beup to no good.

The complex has since halted the searches. But it makes you wonder where else this sort of thing is happening. I recall in researching my first book that in the 1980s and 1990s there were policeraids on entire housing complexes. Every unit inside was hit. The raids were obviously illegal, but the people on the receiving end of them were usually powerless to do much about it.

Good on Denvers 9 News for covering this story, and for making this point in particular:

Its worth noting that the only reason this practice went public and stopped is because someone at the public housing complex knew her rights, and knew that she didnt have to submit to a warrantless police search, no matter what the housing authority said.

Link:
Colorado housing officials invite cops to perform warrantless searches on poor people - Washington Post