Sayyed Ali El-Amine Is Not Being Charged With Meeting Israeli Officials
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency apologized for publishing inaccurate news in relation to the claims against the religious leader and political activist Sayyed Ali El-Amine.
In its initial report, the NNA claimed that the public prosecutor’s office of Mount Lebanon pressed charges against Sayyed Ali El-Amine based on a lawsuit filed by lawyer Ghassan Al-Mawla on behalf of four people.
They accused the religious leader of several charges, including meeting up with Israeli officials during a conference of religions in Bahrain.
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Upon hearing the news, many people began to tweet the hashtag "Sayyed Ali El-Amine is an agent" similar to the response when activist Kinda El Khatib was accused of communicating with Israel .
The NNA stated later that the Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Raed Abu Shaqra had charged Sayyed Ali El-Amine with only two charges:
(1) the crime of stirring sectarian sentiments and inciting conflict between sects, (2) and for criticizing religious rituals, and not for meeting with Israeli officials in Bahrain.
Sayyed Ali El-Amine, known for publicly disagreeing with Hezbollah sentiment, is currently still accused of his anti- Hezbollah stance by allegedly “attacking the resistance and its martyrs" as mentioned in the initial report .
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Former Prime Minister Fouad Seniora called the allegations against Sayyed Ali El-Amine “a mockery” and noted that the [the authorities] are "delaying real reforms."
He shared his opinion that the Lebanese judiciary is being taken advantage of to oust political opponents, according to NNA .
Seniora’s statement is in reference to the authorities' recent crackdown related to the defamation law , which aims at arresting critics of the government.