This is bad news and another defeat for Lebanon. (it is also another argument against the One State Destruction policy advocated by some as the perfect future for Israel)

Artists in Lebanon fear censorship will stifle expression

Sunday, 15 July 2012

Danielle Arbid, a Lebanese filmmaker who recently moved to France, joined a growing numbers of artists, businessmen and investors who left Lebanon fearing the rise in extremism.

Arbid’s film “Beirut Hotel” was banned on the grounds of national security for mentioning former premier Rafiq Hariri’s assassination while ignoring the explicit sex scenes in the film. The scene which concerned the censors referred to a fictional USB with documents about the 2005 assassination. As a result, it was redirected to Lebanon’s internal intelligence agency, which demanded the USB from the film’s producer. This was Arbid’s third consecutive feature film to be banned.

“Nothing works in this country except the censorship bureau,” Arbid told the New York Times.

Since the formation of the new government, which is closely affiliated with Hezbollah and the Syrian regime, censorship has been on the rise. This jeopardizes Lebanon’s place as one of the region’s most liberal country in terms of freedom of expression, which is dearly values by artists and intellectuals.
. . .
The fact that the military actions ended does not mean that the Lebanese civil war is over, said Al-Nahar columnist Sarkis Naoum. Disputes among different ministries have affected businesses and cultural communities alike
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full article:
english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/07/1...