BEIRUT — Lebanese journalist Maria Maalouf received a 15-year prison sentence in absentia from a Lebanese court in 2026. The sentence was issued based on remarks Maalouf made during a 2021 televised interview with an Israeli broadcasting network.

Maalouf stated that the Lebanese court did not contact her before issuing the sentence. She has resided outside Lebanon due to safety concerns after receiving multiple death threats.

In 2006, Maalouf received a phone call telling her she was a dead woman after recording a program critical of Hezbollah. Maalouf's attorney filed a formal complaint with Lebanon's Information Department, documenting more than 500 threatening messages directed at her accounts. Lebanese legal authorities did not bring charges against any individuals related to these documented threats.

"Not one of those cases was ever prosecuted. Five hundred documented threats, filed with the authorities, and nothing. Meanwhile, I'm the one who ended up with a 15-year sentence." Maalouf said.

In 2017, Maalouf published a social media post questioning why Israel had not conducted an airstrike targeting Hassan Nasrallah. Lebanese First Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat issued an in absentia arrest warrant against Maalouf in 2018 for defamation of Hassan Nasrallah.

Maalouf previously filed a lawsuit against Hassan Nasrallah, making allegations of kidnapping, rape, and murder. The Lebanese Press Syndicate named Maalouf the Boldest Journalist for three consecutive years. She previously hosted an interview with former Lebanese president Amine Gemayel on the program she hosted, Lel-Rouwad Faqat.

"This verdict didn't arrive in a vacuum. It came down within days of two other Lebanese citizens living abroad, Ahmad Yassine and Joumana Gebara, receiving the same sentence of 15 years in absentia." she said.

Ahmad Yassine, a professor residing in Paris, was accused of disseminating information that allegedly encouraged the Israeli military to bomb the Baalbek Citadel. Joumana Gebara was accused of publicly praising Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson Avichay Adraee and advocating for diplomatic normalization with Israel.