Welcome to our podcast episode on censorship and surveillance in Lebanon. We're diving into the complexities of how different forms of control affect freedom of expression.

Today, we're breaking down the differences between government surveillance and censorship, and societal censorship often seen as cancel culture. In Lebanon, this plays out not just in politics but also in art and theater, where artists often feel pressure to tone down their work to avoid backlash.We'll discuss how these forms of control intersect and affect individuals and society at large. So, join us as we explore the impact of censorship and surveillance in Lebanon, from government monitoring to the pressure on artists to self-censor.

Yehia Jaber is a Journalist, and Playwright. He is known for his controversial plays that shed light on important issues pertaining to civil society.

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Home to over 1.5 million Syrian refugees (according to government estimates), Lebanon has witnessed the use of Syrian refugees as scapegoats by the political class. Recently, anti-Syrian refugee discourse has heightened in Lebanon, coupled with dangerous attempts at harming Syrian refugees in several parts of the country. In this episode, Michelle Eid and Nadine Khechen challenge common myths that are perpetuated in some Lebanese spaces against refugees and discuss the effects of international policies on refugee status in Lebanon. They go over the series of arbitrary arrests and forced deportation of Syrian refugees during April & May of 2023, discuss the government’s role in violence against refugee communities in Lebanon, and explore EU externalization policies, which have affected Lebanon’s role as a host state, as well as the lives of many refugees who remain the country.

Nadine Khechen is a human rights lawyer and a researcher in the MENA region. She is currently taking part in a research project focused on the interconnectedness of refugee return policies between the Global North and Global South, which she refers to in the episode. The project is funded by the Swiss Network for International Studies.

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The economic crisis that began in Lebanon in 2019 has reshaped society in many ways, shifting people up and down the socio-economic strata. While many families in Lebanon have become dependent on relatives sending remittances from abroad, others have not, redefining the concept of the the working class, the middle class, financial comfort, and privilege. Join Michelle Eid and Nizar Hasan in this episode on crisis, class, and ideology in Lebanon, where they discuss how the economic crisis affects ideology in different communities, bringing rise to some far-right groups such as Jnoud Al Rab. They also talk about how the crisis has pushed people to seek private solutions for public problems, creating alternative systems of support.

Nizar Hasan is a researcher in public policy and social movements. He is also the founder and host of Tafkeek, a youtube channel which aims to create content explaining notions and questions related to society and economics, with a focus on inequality and politics.

This channel aims to create content explaining notions and questions related to society and economics, with a focus on inequality and politics.

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