Exiled Lebanese journalist Maria Maalouf slams 'absurd' 15-year sentence - exclusive

Lebanese journalist Maria Maalouf has been sentenced to 15 years in absentia after being convicted for comments she made five years ago criticizing Hezbollah and Iran's influence in Lebanon.

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Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s party in Lebanon have taken the state hostage and returned it to the stone age.

Maalouf, a US-based Christian-Maronite writer, told The Jerusalem Post that Lebanon did not contact her before issuing the sentence. The conviction stems from a 2021 interview with Kan News, where she stated, “Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s party in Lebanon have taken the state hostage and returned it to the stone age." She also accused Hezbollah of alienating Lebanon from its Arab neighbors and directly addressed Nasrallah, calling him a murderer responsible for deaths in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Beirut.

Her interview with an Israeli media outlet led to widespread condemnation in the Arab world, branding her a traitor despite her previous accolades, including awards for "Boldest Journalist" and interviews with world leaders. Maalouf described the sentence as "absurd," emphasizing the gravity of receiving a 15-year term for simply answering a journalist's questions.

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Fifteen years, for sitting in a studio and answering a journalist's questions. I want people to sit with that for a moment, because once you do, the absurdity of it becomes the whole story

Living in exile and facing constant danger due to her vocal criticism of Hezbollah, Maalouf explained the profound personal impact of the verdict. "A verdict like this doesn't stay confined to a courtroom; it follows you into every phone call home, every plan to visit relatives, every conversation about whether it's safe to attend a wedding or a funeral," she said. While not currently needing to return to Lebanon, the sentence serves as a perpetual threat, "a reminder that the file is open and the door can close at any time."

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A verdict like this doesn't stay confined to a courtroom; it follows you into every phone call home, every plan to visit relatives, every conversation about whether it's safe to attend a wedding or a funeral

Maalouf has a history of receiving death threats, including from individuals linked to the former Assad regime in Syria. She recounted a specific threat in 2006 from the Assad camp, warning she would be hanged in Damascus's main square after she criticized Hezbollah on her show.

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There's a difference between living abroad because you were forced to leave because of safety issues, and living abroad with a fifteen-year sentence on the books with your name on it. One is a decision. The other is a cage with very long walls