Lebanon

New York, June 1, 2009--On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the murder of Lebanese journalist Samir Qassir, the Committee to Protect Journalists is outraged that those behind the crime are still at large.

This deeply divided country reached the brink of full-scale conflict in mid-year after political and religious leaders used the news media to inflame sectarian divisions and failed to abide by the consensual style of government agreed upon at the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. A battle of words that began in December 2006 with the resignation of Shiite Hezbollah ministers and allies from the coalition government headed by Sunni Prime Minister Fouad Siniora erupted in deadly street clashes in May.