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English

Saradar Bank women’s race in Junieh

22-5-2017

The Beirut Marathon Association organized yesterday the Saradar Bank- Women’s Race in Junyeh north of Beirut. The event kicked off from Fuad Shehab Sports Complex in the presence of Chantal Aoun Bassil representing the First Lady, Nadia Chami Aoun, and the minister of state for women’s affairs, Jean Ogassapian, and with the participation of some 1026 Lebanese, Arab and foreign runners. On the occasion, Bassil, President Aoun’s daughter, said she was happy to partake in the marathon for women. Women, she emphasized, represent a role model in society, and boast a reservoir of ideas for the development of the community, and are not confined to their traditional roles as mothers and educators-upbringers, and as such, they deserve a greater position in the political and social life of the country. Similarly, Ogassapian said the Lebanese woman has continuously proved herself “academically, culturally, mentally and physically, and that she is present across all walks of life.” “When I speak of equality, I mean equality at the level of society as a whole, that is in activities that are expressive of freedom,” the minister said, maintaining that “equality is also needed in politics at the level of constitutional institutions.” For her part, founder and president of Beirut Marathon, May Khalil, pointed out that as she believes in the power of sports, she seeks to motivate the Lebanese woman to take part in sportive events, notably running, in order to fuel her boldness in all that she does. (Al Diyar, May 22, 2017)

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Ivanka Trump learns about rights from Saudi women!

22-5-2017

On the sidelines of a parade involving US President Donald Trump during his weekend visit to Saudi Arabia, his daughter, Ivanka met with a group of Saudi women leaders. Trump praised the progress reached in recent years in the Kingdom in the area of women’s rights, describing this as “very encouraging”. But, she added, “there is still a lot to be done and freedoms to be fought for,” and urged Saudi women to continue with their struggle to attain more freedoms. In a tweet after the above roundtable meeting, Ivanka said she has “learned directly from the successes, achievements and the future visions of Saudi women.” “Stories of Saudi women aspiring for change inspire me,” she tweeted. “Women around the world continue to struggle to achieve unprecedented levels of rights and freedoms, and today, you are standing in the front lines of the battle for equality,” she concluded in her address to Saudi women. (Al Diyar, May 22, 2017)

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Lebanese family observatory to monitor the ethics of media

22-5-2017

The so-called Lebanese Family Observatory was launched on Thursday during a ceremony held on the premises in Dbayeh with the participation of information minister Melhem Riachi, head of the Observatory, former Miss Universe, Georgina Rizk, and Tele Lumiere CEO, Jacques Kallassi. The latter, on the occasion, clarified that the opening of the station has come in response to Riachi’s appeal to salvage the community’s devastated moral structure. He said the observatory has been established as an eye opener regarding the hazards aired on TV and radio channels through “emotionally, mentally and culturally deranged programs that affect our youth and children.” The newly-set up body will act as a pressure tool embracing the public opinion and society, as well as, education, psychology and social experts, and warning of the monstrosity exhibited under the banner of media and communication. For his part, Minister Riachi underlined the strength of the observatory in “watching over rather than censoring, and in protecting freedom and human values rather than suppressing them,” as he put it. He made clear that being the party that encouraged the observatory, the minister is also required comply with its mandate. He called for monitoring all the state-run and private media institutions, and social media platforms, in addition to the moral monitoring of their right to criticism and censure. He emphasized the mission of the observatory to prevent the TV from becoming a relaxed “enemy inside our homes,”. (An Nahar, May 19, 2017)

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Rita Shibley yet another victim of confessional personal status law

19-5-2017

Another victim is added to a long list of women impaired by Lebanon’s personal status law that discriminate against women. Rita Shibley was jailed for three days for refusing to comply with a ruling by Shmistar Jaafari Court ordering her to handover of her two children, Youssef and Maria, to their grandfather from the deceased father’s side. The Court however revoked its decision on custody of the children and released Rita after informing her of a case of forgery on part of the father’s family in respect of the ‘religion of their son’. In the details, Al Akhbar newspaper narrated the story of the couple which began with the marriage of Rita and Wassim. The husband has converted to Catholicism and was baptized as George after signing a pledge to return to the Catholic Court in all matters related to said marriage, Al Akhbar wrote. After Wassim died, Rita started to face problems with her in-laws who sought by all means to win custody of the grandchildren, with resort to force in some instances. When the family failed, the newspaper went on to say, it reverted the conversion of deceased George to his original Shiite faith, and to Wassim Abdel Hassan Chehadeh as he was called before being baptized. The transfer was made seven days after Wassim’s death, which constituted a problem. Rita today awaits a decision by the Catholic Religious Court that will give her custody of her two children. In its comment on the subject, Kafa - Enough Violence and Exploitation organization said in a statement yesterday that Rita has been subject to injustice, discrimination, fraud and stalking. It stressed the rights of women and mothers in particular to custody and guardianship of their children, questionning the government about its responsibilities towards its women citizens! “Aren’t women’s heartbreaks reasons enough for the decision-makers to act put the personal status laws at the highest position in their priorities?”  (An Nahar, Al Akhbar, May 19, 2017)
 
Previous related news: 
Fatmeh Hamzeh victim of Lebanon’s confessional constitution and laws
 

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"Lebanese & Safe" for healthy agricultural products

19-5-2017

L’Orient Le Jour, in today's issue, shed light on a venture "Lebanese and Safe" (https://www.facebook.com/Lebaneseandsafe) that was launched on May 16 th. This venture consists of a market for selling fresh Lebanese agricultural products that are free of chemical residues, it is at the flower and seedlings market in front of Forum De Beirut, Armenia Street. The venture as stated by its founder Antoine Howayek - President of Lebanese Farmers Association - seeks to support the farmer, on the one hand, and on the other, "to provide agricultural produce that is irrigated with clean water which is free from chemical deposits or meets international standards certified and guaranteed by the international company TUV NORD". Howayek explained the conditions to be met by farmers who are willing to becomes part of the project: first, the water used should be clean whether it is used in washing the green produce -which must be drinking water -, or used in irrigation - which must be suitable for irrigation; second, the farmer should commit to a timetable for spraying of pesticides that is compatible with pest control safety criteria. He noted that the venture started out with 25 farmers while only 7 continued, the rest pulled out for different reasons. Howayek concluded that the objectives of the project do not stop at these limits, there are prospects of including the maximum number of farmers possible, he considered that, “this is the minimum we can offer consumers in absence of the government and its regulatory functions.” (L’Orient Le Jour, May 19, 2017)

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Chile lands in Iqleem al Kharrub for women’s sake

19-5-2017

In collaboration with the Embassy of Chile, the Ministry of State for Women’s Affairs organized on Wednesday, a seminar entitled ‘Poverty Reduction’ at the municipality of Barja, Iqlim al Kharub. The activity comes as part of a Chilean Week in Lebanon aimed at exchange of expertise relevant to women’s affairs between the two countries. Mayor Nashaat Hamiyeh stated that addressing the issue of women is fundamental, since women constitute a key pillars of society as well as its foundation. For his part, the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, Jean Ogassapian, emphasized that "the presence of men amongst us during our presentation of the rights of women is essential, they also should struggle towards achieving full rights of women, so that women become fundamental partners in positions of political decision-making in the nation." The Ambassador of Chile to Lebanon, Martha Shalhub, stated: “We do not seek to be equal to men, for we know that men and women are not the same. What women want are equal opportunities, rights, and guarantees.” For her part, Chilean former minister and expert in women’s affairs, Carmen Andrade, considered that inequality in pay and work impedes women’s economic independence. She emphasized the need to arrive at educational and cultural policies that strengthen [gender] equality in rights and opportunities in order to eradicate all conservative traditional practices that cause sustained poverty and inequality. )Al Mustaqbal, May 19, 2017(

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Trial postponed of husband killer of wife Manal Assi

19-5-2017

The Criminal Court of Cassation, under Judge Suheir Harakeh, and in the presence of representative of Appellate Prosecutor’s Office, Judge Imad Qabalan, resumed the trial of Mohamad Nuheili, murderer of wife Manal Assi back in 2015 (news: http://www.lkdg.org/ar/node/10775). Earlier on, in August 22, the Court agreed to repudiate the ruling of the Criminal Court of Beirut to mitigate the death penalty to a 5-year imprisonment sentence according to Article 252 of the Penal Code that allows the perpetrator to benefit from a reduced sentence if the crime was committed in a fit of rage resulting from a wrong action. The Court listened yesterday to the testimonies of 5 witnesses including neighbors of the victim and relatives of the assailant. They all agreed that the culprit has left his marital house several times after beating his wife who never begged for help. The judge also heard the victim’s mother who stated that she arrived at [the victim's] home after receiving a call from the defendant. And the latter, in turn, commented on the testimonies of witnesses in the presence of his attorney Ahmad Badran. The Court decided to summon the victim’s mother and other witnesses to the following session set for July 4 [2017]. (Al Mustaqbal, May 19, 2017)


Previous related news:
Testimonies in the trial of killer of wife Manal Assi
Judiciary delays ruling in murder cases of Manal Assi and Ella Tannus child
Public Prosecutor appeals decision of mitigated sentence to killer of wife Manal Assi
Court of Cassation repeals decision in the case of Manal Assi
Justice fails Manal Assi while last hope resides in the Discriminatory Prosecution
 

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NDU, IRI cooperation on food safety

18-5-2017

The President of Notre Dame University (NDU), Walid Mussa, and the Director General of the state-run Industrial Research Institute (IRI), Bassam Frenn, signed last Monday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the university and the center that entails “cooperation and exchange of expertise especially in the fields of research, laboratory testing and food safety”. According to a statement issued by NDU, “The center and the university will work in partnership based on the specialty of food safety towards developing the agro-food sector in Lebanon as a positive factor in realizing a balanced regional growth”. During the signing ceremony, Business Advisor, Ramzi Bhamduni, explained the significance of the agreement which “will cover the creation of a Food Advisory Unit whose role is to provide advice, guidance and to implement food development projects for food companies and industrial groups in Lebanon”. Similarly, Frenn emphasized “the importance of building bridges between universities and the academic world on the one hand, and the labor market and the industrial, production and services sectors on the other.” (Al Mustaqbal, May 16, 2017)

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Women, politics, and violence in Tripoli

18-5-2017

A seminar entitled, ‘women, politics and violence’, was held yesterday at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Tripoli and the North at the invitation of the office of the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, Jean Ogassapian, and the Embassy of Chile in Lebanon in the presence of a group of public figures. During the seminar, the Chilean former minister and expert in women’s affairs, Carmen Andrade, stated that “the presence of women in senior state positions, whether presidency of the republic or parliament presidency or in various political posts, remains limited”, and reflected on the main barriers that impede the effective participation of women. She added by saying “Some electoral systems are harmful to women, and do not provide them with opportunities to run for elections or to vote directly for their own interests. Among the electoral systems that best ensure representation of women, [she maintained], is the proportional representation (PR) system which guarantees the soundest requisites and circumstances towards ensuring victory of new groups, such as women and the youth.” The seminar included two working sessions: the first entitled ‘women in politics’, and was moderated by Dr. Ruba Dalati who examined the rate of women’s participation in the legislative branch of government in a number of Arab states, drawing attention to the low participation of women in governments, and adding that “ [women’s] participation is still linked to ministries that are considered traditionally as women’s specialties”. The second session entitled, ‘combating violence against women’, and moderated by Shaza Asaad, who pointed out forms of discrimination between men and women and causes of such discrimination which lead only to violence whether physical, mental or emotional that Lebanese women in general have to put up with. Asaad appealed to the Lebanese public to take action in this direction, urging the government and PM Saad Hariri to ensure equity for women and to contribute towards strengthening women’s role in the advancement of society. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, May 18, 2017)

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Tokenism: November 4, “Lebanese Women’s Day”(!)

18-5-2017

The Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, Jean Ogassapian, stated that the Cabinet of Ministers agreed in its regular session held yesterday to his request to mark the fourth of November of every year “a day for the Lebanese woman”, and to instruct relevant government agencies to extend all means of support to strengthen Lebanese women’s status in all areas including supporting them to achieve high positions locally, regionally and internationally”. In a conversation with The Daily Star newspaper, Ogassapian emphasized that the November 4th date was chosen because on that date in the year 1952, the Lebanese government signed a decree granting women, for the first time, the right to vote and run for elections. (Al Mustaqbal, AnNahar, L’Orient Le Jour, May 18, 2017).

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