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.

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)