5 days ago
William Noun summoned over 'sectarian incitement' and 'alleged violation of Israel boycott law'
The Central Criminal Investigation Department summoned activist William Noun, brother of a victim of the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion, for questioning on Tuesday at noon at the Justice Palace, following a complaint accusing him of inciting sectarian strife and violating Lebanon's law on dealings with Israel, Noun told L'Orient Today Friday.
The complaint, sent to L'Orient Today by Noun on Friday, was filed by Hassan Ibrahim, a lawyer reportedly close to Hezbollah, after a speech Noun delivered during the fifth anniversary commemoration of the Beirut port explosion on Aug. 4.
Speaking to L'Orient Today Friday, Noun said: "They accused me of sympathizing with Israel, which isn't even true because I didn't even use the word Israel. And if I were to mention it, I would mention it negatively. Accusing me of collaborating with Israel is something funny. Inciting sectarian violence is part of what they have said against me."
L'Orient Today viewed the video of his remarks and was able to confirm that Noun did not mention Israel.
The complaint alleges that during his speech, audience members began chanting 'Hezbollah is a terrorist organization,' to which Noun responded that "there is no one left of them," in apparent reference to losses Hezbollah suffered during its 2024 war with Israel.
According to the plaintiff, Noun was 'clearly alluding to the resistance's 5,000 martyrs who fell during the Israeli war against Lebanon.'
At the end of his speech, Noun said, 'Just because Hassan Nasrallah has died doesn't mean all his sins are forgiven.'
In his complaint, Ibrahim argued that Noun 'expressed dangerous empathy with the Israeli enemy, provoking the popular base of the resistance, which makes up at least half of the Lebanese population, among whom it is rare to find a family that has not offered a martyr during the brutal aggression that Lebanon endured.'
Ibrahim said that this statement referred to 'Hezbollah martyrs who were killed during the war and after the cease-fire on Nov. 27, which Israel is not abiding by.' On his Facebook page, Ibrahim added, "Those martyrs are our friends, relatives, and school friends, and their legacy should be respected," alongside a photo of the complaint.
The complaint accuses Noun of making inflammatory remarks at a sensitive national moment, stating that his comments "incite sectarian and partisan divisions," particularly given his different sectarian background from those he criticized. It further claims his language "resembles that of the Israeli enemy" and violates Lebanon's boycott law.
The filing also pointed to Noun's affiliation with a political group critical of Hezbollah, suggesting he supports a 'hostile approach to the resistance,' and warns that accusing Hezbollah of involvement in the port explosion is a 'serious and dangerous' allegation that could undermine civil peace.
