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MTV Lebanon
10-07-2025
- MTV Lebanon
10 Jul 2025 09:29 AM Yoon returns to jail as martial law probe accelerates
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was back in a solitary jail cell on Thursday with basic food and a khaki prison uniform after prosecutors secured a new detention warrant over his bid to impose martial law last year. The Seoul Central District Court's decision to approve the warrant bolstered the special counsel investigation into allegations that Yoon's move in December represented obstruction of justice and abuse of power. The court said in a statement it granted the request because of concerns Yoon could seek to destroy evidence, returning him to confinement at the Seoul Detention Center where he spent 52 days earlier in the year before being released four months ago on technical grounds. He moved back with his wife and his 11 dogs and cats to their 164 square metre (1,765 square feet) apartment in an upscale district of Seoul. The couple's net worth is estimated at 7.5 billion won ($5.47 million), according to a government filing. But Yoon will now be housed in a 10 square-metre solitary cell, have to wear a two-piece khaki-coloured uniform and sleep on a foldable mattress on the floor without an air conditioner, an official at the detention centre and media reports said. With a heat wave gripping the country, Yoon will have to rely on a small electric fan that switches off at night, Park Jie-won, an opposition lawmaker who had been incarcerated there, said on a YouTube talk show. The detention facility served a breakfast of steamed potatoes and mini cheese breads for inmates on Thursday, another official said. The conservative politician faces criminal charges of insurrection over his martial law decree, which could carry a sentence of life in prison or death. YOON SKIPS COURT HEARING Hours after he ended up in jail, the court held a hearing on Thursday morning for his insurrection trial, but Yoon did not attend. His lawyers told the court that he was unable to go to the hearing due to health issues, the Yonhap News Agency reported. The Constitutional Court ousted Yoon as president in April, upholding parliament's impeachment for the martial law bid, which shocked South Koreans and triggered months of political turmoil. The special prosecution team launched its investigation after new leader Lee Jae Myung was elected in June, and has been looking into additional charges against Yoon. The special counsel team, made up of more than 200 prosecutors and investigators, is now expected to speed up its probe into allegations, including whether Yoon hurt South Korea's interests by intentionally inflaming tensions with North Korea. The team plans to question Yoon on Friday, informing his wife and lawyers about his detention via letters, Park Ji-young, a deputy to the special counsel, told reporters on Thursday. National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik said Yoon's detention should help in the mission to determine the truth behind the martial law crisis and restore democracy. "No one is above the law," Woo said in a Facebook post. Yoon attended the court hearing on Wednesday on the detention warrant, wearing a dark navy suit and a red tie, but did not answer questions from reporters. His lawyers have denied the allegations against him and called the detention request an unreasonable move in a hasty investigation. More than 1,000 supporters rallied near the court on Wednesday, local media reported, waving flags and signs and chanting Yoon's name in searing 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) heat. In their warrant request, prosecutors said Yoon poses a flight risk, local media reported.
L'Orient-Le Jour
09-05-2025
- L'Orient-Le Jour
'Star' journalists quit Al-Jadeed over Nasrallah report
Mariam al-Bassam, head of news and political programs at Al-Jadeed TV, and several other journalists have resigned in protest after the channel aired last week a controversial report on the mausoleum of Hezbollah's former slain leader, Hassan Nasrallah. According to a channel employee who spoke to L'Orient Today this Friday under the condition of anonymity. The nine-minute segment, aired last Friday during a talk show hosted by Josephine Dib, was reportedly not produced by Al-Jadeed and "did not reflect the channel's editorial stance", according to a clarification cited by the independent news site al-Modon. The report alleged that "tens of millions of dollars" were spent on acquiring land and constructing the mausoleum, while many Hezbollah supporters whose homes were destroyed during the latest war with Israel have not received compensation. The segment also reportedly identified former and current owners of the land and claimed that the purchases were financed using 'non-transparent Iranian money' and 'bags filled with smuggled dollars,' bypassing official banking channels. As of now, the segment appears to have been removed from Al-Jadeed's official website and YouTube channel. Other journalists dismissed The source explains that "star journalists and reporters have also submitted their resignation following Bassam", but declined to give the names of the journalists in question. According to the same source, Al-Jadeed also dismissed journalists Rawand Bou Dargham and Kassem al-Bassam, Mariam al-Bassam's brother, after they signed a letter addressed to management and urged other colleagues to do the same. The letter, which has circulated on social media and was confirmed by an Al-Jadeed employee, called on the channel to take "decisive action" in response to editorial decisions that could "incite division in the country." Employees expressed concern that the channel's current editorial policies could lead to attacks on staff and their families, particularly amid coverage of ongoing municipal and electoral elections across Lebanon. The letter, signed by a large number of reporters, photographers, and editors, urged the channel to implement measures to ensure the safety of its employees. According to the source, no staff member has been personally threatened or attacked since the report aired." It emphasized that employees are not seeking "solidarity from the channel after an attack takes place," but rather aim to "prevent such incidents altogether". In response to the broadcast, some Al-Jadeed employees posted pictures of the mausoleum with heart emojis on social media, as a symbolic protest against the aired segment. Hezbollah's media outlet Al-Manar responded on Monday, describing the report as 'nine minutes of polite incitement' disguised as investigative journalism. It criticized the piece for lacking basic journalistic standards and accused Al-Jadeed of attempting to stir domestic unrest, claiming that official records contradicted the report's assertions. On Saturday, Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Moussawi described the investigation as a 'qualified crime' and called on the judiciary to take immediate action. Who is Mariam al-Bassam? Mariam al-Bassam is widely known for writing the editorial introductions to Al-Jadeed's 7:30 p.m. news bulletin. She joined the channel in the early 2000s and became a prominent figure in its newsroom. Before her tenure at Al-Jadeed, al-Bassam worked at Sawt al-Shaab radio and later with Reuters and the BBC. Al-Jadeed is owned by Lebanese businessman Tahseen al-Khayyat, who is also the founder and chairman of the Tahseen Khayat Group, a conglomerate with operations in publishing, printing, media, energy, and pharmaceuticals. His daughter, Karma al-Khayyat, currently serves as Deputy General Manager of the channel. Al-Jadeed's headquarters in Cola neighborhood in Beirut have been attacked several times in the past years by unknown assaillants, as the TV station regularly criticizes political parties from different sides in Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen
02-01-2025
- Al Mayadeen
South Korea's Yoon vows to 'fight until end'
According to a lawyer on Thursday, South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to "fight until the end" as he faces an arrest attempt over his brief martial law declaration last month. The timing and method of the arrest remain unclear, and there are concerns about potential interference from his presidential security service. Tensions escalated on Thursday as police clashed with Yoon's supporters, who blocked the road to his home in protest, resulting in the removal of several demonstrators. Yoon said in the letter late on Wednesday to the hundreds of supporters gathering near his official house that he was watching their "hard work" on Youtube and vowed to "fight until the end to protect this country with you." The opposition Democratic Party, which has majority control of parliament and spearheaded Yoon's impeachment on December 14, claimed the letter demonstrated Yoon's delusions and his determination to accomplish his "insurrection". "As if trying to stage an insurrection wasn't enough, he is now inciting his supporters to an extreme clash," party spokesperson Jo Seoung-lae said in a statement. On December 3, Yoon stunned the country with a late-night announcement that he was declaring martial law to break the political gridlock and ferret out "anti-state forces". Within hours, however, 190 MPs disregarded the military and police cordons and voted against Yoon's directive. Yoon revoked his first ruling almost six hours later. In a historic moment, a South Korean court approved on Tuesday the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who had been impeached by parliament and temporarily suspended from office, the first time in South Korea's history that a sitting president has faced an arrest warrant. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) confirmed that the Seoul Western District Court authorized the arrest warrant, which was sought by investigators probing Yoon's brief declaration of martial law. Yoon is under investigation for allegedly leading an insurrection, one of the few criminal charges that can be brought against a South Korean president, as they do not enjoy immunity from such accusations. Additionally, his impeachment trial is ongoing at the Constitutional Court. A CIO official told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday that the current arrest warrant for Yoon is valid until January 6, adding that Yoon could be held at a police station or the Seoul detention center. The lawyer warned that police personnel would risk arrest by "the presidential security service or any citizens" if they attempted to detain Yoon on behalf of the CIO, claiming that their jurisdiction is restricted to crowd management and keeping public order. Separately, the Constitutional Court is hearing Yoon's impeachment trial. The court will have its second hearing on Friday. Yoon has been suspended from his presidential responsibilities, and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has taken over as acting president until the trial's result. If the court supports the impeachment and Yoon is ousted from office, a new presidential election will take place within 60 days.
