On 16 September 2026, the Central Criminal Investigations Bureau summoned freelance journalist Mahasen Morsel to appear on 21 September before Judge Rahif Ramadan, Advocate General at the Court of Cassation, following a complaint filed by a former member of parliament Morsel said she was unable to attend. Her lawyer raised what Morsel described as a Public Prosecutor decision freezing proceedings against journalists. The judge said another date would be set, but none had been communicated when the incident was reported. Morsel said she had not been told the complaint’s details.
A 20 August report stated that the MP had reportedly filed a criminal complaint over statements he considered insulting and accusatory. The merits have not been adjudicated. This event forms part of repeated proceedings involving Morsel. In February, she was summoned by the Cybercrime Bureau in a separate complaint concerning a tweet that repeated a televised report. On 28 September, she received another summons to appear on 20 October in a separate complaint concerning television interviews.
Media Law No. 69 entered into force on 3 September. Article 117 sets transitional rules for pending complaints and proceedings, but the correct procedural route in each matter depends on the case file and judicial classification. On 22 September, the Union of Journalists in Lebanon called for its immediate application to pending defamation cases and for criminal proceedings based on replaced provisions to stop. Repeated summonses, uncertainty over the competent forum and legal costs may discourage public-interest reporting and reduce procedural predictability for journalists.