Al Jadeed

Al Jadeed
Type Television Network
Country Lebanon
Availability Lebanon; also available in the Arab World, European Union, Canada, United States, Australia and Americas
Owner Tahsin Khayat
Launch date
 4 October 2001
Official website
 http://www.aljadeed.tv

Formerly known as New TV, Al Jadeed (Arabic: الجديد‎), a privately owned 24-hour pan-Arab TV station. Based in Beirut, it was created in 1991. Today, Al Jadeed TV is one of the most watched broadcasters in Lebanon and in the entire Arab world. Contrary to its Lebanese competitors, Al Jadeed TV has never belonged to any political party or leader.

On 9 May 2005, Al Jadeed was also launched in America and the Pacific, reaching Arab speaking emigrants in the United States, Canada, South America and Australia.[1] As of 2012, it has become available for viewers in South America through over-the-top technology on myTV.[2]

History

From 1991 to 1996: New TV

Up to 1996, New TV was regularly in conflict with the ruling leaders.

At the end of 1996, the Lebanese Ministry of Information decided to shut many TV stations, including New TV, the only secular broadcaster in Lebanese. Only five channels then got the right to broadcast, obviously chosen according to match religious communities’ demands.

Since 2001: Al Jadeed TV

From 2000, New TV has got a licence again and it became Al Jadeed TV in 2001.

Attacks, threats and intimidation attempts against Al Jadeed TV

Broadcasting suspended in 2003

In January 2003, Information Ministry Michel Samaha ordered to hold the broadcasting of Al Jadeed TV’s programs. This decision involved the Bila Rakeeb weekly program that had been advertising on revelations about Saudi Arabia.

Chairman arrested in 2003

On December 7th, 2003, Tahseen Khayat, Al Jadeed TV’s Chairman was arrested at home and brought in custody for two days. The channel had numerous pieces of evidence about high corruption cases involving some Syrian political personalities who were then ruling . Among them, Rustum Ghazaleh. In an attempt of intimidation against Al Jadeed TV, Tahseen Khayat was then accused of being a spy. The channel’s offices and Tahseen Khayat’s home were searched. The channel finally broadcast those documents that it had cautiously made several copies of.

Threats against a female anchor in 2003

In July 2003, Al Jadeed TV broadcast a new documentary involving the Lebanese General Jamil El Sayed in a corruption case with Syria. Most of the channel’s managers were summoned to the Tribunal of Beirut. Among them, Dalia Ahmad, a famous anchor. As a non-Lebanese, her work permit was withdrawn and she was then given the choice either to work for any other Lebanese TV station (excluding Al Jadeed). She finally resigned in December 2013. She then worked in the USA for Al Horra TV and eventually came back to Al Jadeed TV after Jamil Al Sayed’s arrest in October 2005.

El Suddik case in 2006

In December 2006, three Al Jadeed reporters were under arrest following their investigation on the former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri’s assassination and on their lead on Muhammad Zuhair El Suddik, one of the false witnesses. They were jailed for 45 days and released after their report was broadcast. 

Attack against the Chairman's house

In March 2010, a hundred of the Druze community surrounded Tahseen Khayat’s house and threatened to put it into flame. Despite a few damages, they eventually withdrew after the Druze leader Walid Jumblat intervened.

Murder of an Al Jadeed cameraman

On April 9th, 2012, an Al Jadeed crew went to northern Lebanon along the Syrian border. They were then fired at by the Syrian forces. Ali Shaaban was killed while Hussein Khreiss and Abed Khayat were seriously injured.

Assault against Al Jadeed headquarters in 2012

In June 2012, masked men set fire to tires in front of Al Jadeed’s office’s main door after the channel had released an interview with Ahma Al-Aseer, a Sunni Sheikh. Al Jadeed’s security team arrested one of the men who was then jailed for three months. His accomplices and him were members of Saraya Mokawami, a Hezbollah related organisation[3].

Legal attacks: Prosecution against Al Jadeed TV by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

In January 2014, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (a UN mandated tribunal set to judge Rafic Hariri’s murderers) issued an order in lieu of indictment against the journalist Karma Khayat and Al Jadeed TV whom she was the information programs director at the time of the incriminated facts. The Lebanese journalist and the channel are accused of contempt charges and justice obstruction after they released compromising information regarding the witnesses’ protection system of the tribunal.

In August 2012, Al Jadeed TV had broadcast a 5 episodes documentary showing serious failures inside the tribunal related to the anonymity of the witnesses and their protection. Beside, the channel’s teams had taken all the necessary measures to keep the interrogated persons anonymous (blurred faces, no name given).

A year and a half later, Karma Khayat and Al Jadeed TV are being prosecuted for “undermining the confidence of the public in the ability of the tribunal to protect confidential information related to the witnesses or alleged witnesses” and to have disobeyed the order given by the Judge to stop broadcasting the reportage. They appeared in the court first in May 2014 for the pre-trial. The trial began on April 16th 2015 in The Hague.

Karma Khayat could be sentenced up to 7 years in jail and fined €100,000. Moreover, despite the tribunal’s contradictions, this is the first time an organisation is prosecuted by an international tribunal which could make a precedent.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Al Jadeed". Mysat.tv. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Channels from home". MyTV. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  3. ↑ "Suspect in Al-Jadeed TV station attack accused of attempted murder".