Adalah condemns the assassination of the Lebanese journalist Luqman Saleem and cautions against covering up the offenders

In a statement, The Adalah Center for Media and Political Freedom and Human Rights voiced their concern about the deterioration of freedoms in Lebanon and the liquidation of activists following the assassination of the Lebanese journalist and political activist Luqman Saleem.

They condemned the heinous crime against Saleem, embodied in his abduction, assassination, and dumping of his body, explaining that they are evidence of the severity of the journalistic work in Lebanon and that every oppositionist is threatened with death.

The Center highlighted in the statement, the role of prominent people in Lebanon in the assassination of Saleem, as he is a fierce oppositionist of Hezbollah’s policies and approaches, as well as to his interest in the case of prisoners and forcibly disappeared persons in Lebanon and Syria, which disturbed the party and the government that has always opposed.

Adalah asked the Lebanese authorities to conduct a transparent investigation into that incident and not to cover up those involved, to reveal the truth, hold the suspects accountable, and ensure that they do not enjoy impunity.

They emphasized that covering up the offenders, or attempting to redirect the compass in the investigations, would be equal to engaging in the crime that took Saleem’s life.
The Center concluded the statement by saying, “It is essential to bring an end to the violations and crimes committed against journalists, political and human rights activists in Lebanon, and to put a stop to the influential people from the lives of journalists who threaten them with their weapons and bullets.