Fourteen local and international organizations announced a coalition to defend freedom of speech in Lebanon on July 13. Along with most signatories, I share doubts about the viability of this collective action, but also a certitude about its necessity. In the 20 years I have been a journalist, rarely have I been more scared about Lebanon’s insidious descent into a police state. Things were never perfect, but in a region where authoritarian regimes impose draconian laws against free speech, Lebanon remained a relatively safe haven. This began to change for the worse in 2015, when, triggered by a trash crisis, protestors took to the streets, for the first time raising the kellon yani kellon (all of them means all of them) slogan. The movement ultimately failed to produce change, but the prospect of Lebanese uniting against their political elite was not lost on the ruling class. The freedom to criticize,
