Lebanese newspaper, editor sued for insulting Saudi king

Beirut Jan 29 (IANS) Lebanon s public prosecutor has filed a lawsuit against ad-Diyar newspaper and its owner and editor-in-chief Charles Ayoub on charges of insulting Saudi King Salman the daily has said.

The prosecution has demanded a one-year jail term and a fine for Ayoub ad-Diyar said on Sunday.

According to the newspaper Ayoub had likened the Saudi monarch to controversial medieval Muslim theologian Ibn Taymiyyah and called Saudi Minister Thamer al-Sabhan an "Israeli agent" Xinhua news agency reported.

Ayoub s article was published during the Lebanese-Saudi crisis that followed Prime Minister Saad Hariri s controversial resignation.

The public prosecution had on Friday filed a lawsuit against comedian Hisham Haddad the host of "Lahon-w-bass" Lebanon s most watched satirical TV show.

Haddad has been accused of "insulting" Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Hariri in one of the episodes.

--IANS
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