After being released, Charles Ayoub barred from leaving UAE
Ad-Diyar newspaper owner and editor-in-chief Charles Ayoub is barred from leaving the United Arab Emirates due to a lawsuit filed against him, the head of Lebanon's Syndicate of Press Editors said.
“We thought that the case of our colleague Charles Ayoub had ended yesterday after he was released by Dubai Police, but we have learned that Mr. Ayoub has been barred from returning to Lebanon due to a lawsuit filed against him,” Elias Aoun said in a statement.
“He is not against appearing before the Lebanese judiciary, especially that the case of the lawsuit had occurred in Lebanon,” Aoun added.
“Accordingly, we call on the competent authorities in the UAE, which we respect, not to treat a journalist in this manner and not to deny him freedom,” he urged.
Ayoub had been interrogated on Wednesday Dubai Police, which denied media reports that he was “arrested” and said he was “summoned for a limited period to testify regarding a libel and threats lawsuit filed by the director of the Rotana company.”
“In line with legal norms, the case will be referred to the public prosecution should the two parties fail to reach a reconciliation,” Dubai Police added.
Ayoub's daughter is a resident of Dubai.
