"Fadl Shaker’s role was limited to incitement through loudspeakers."

The case of Lebanese artist Fadl Shaker has entered a new phase, after the court president, Judge Bilal Danawi, decided to postpone the trial sessions to April 24, in preparation for hearing the closing arguments in one of the most controversial art-legal cases in Lebanon.

During the last session, a notable development emerged as the plaintiff, Hilal Hamoud, appeared before the court for the first time, where he directly accused Fadl Shaker of inciting his killing during the events in Sidon, noting that the artist’s role was – according to his statement – limited to incitement through loudspeakers in the Bilal ibn Rabah mosque, without seeing him personally at the scene of the confrontations.

However, this statement sparked tension inside the courtroom, as Fadl Shaker faced the accusation with outright rejection, considering the plaintiff’s words to contain clear contradictions with previous statements in the file, and stressing from inside the defendant’s box that the facts attributed to him are "fabricated and constructed."

After the session ended, Shaker broke his silence and spoke to the media, confirming that his presence before the judiciary aims solely to fully clear his name, denying any attempt at a legal settlement or conditional dropping of charges.

At the same time, legal reports had previously revealed a judicial recommendation to drop several serious charges against Fadl Shaker, notably funding terrorism, insulting a brotherly state, and money laundering, which observers considered a pivotal element that could directly impact the anticipated final decision.

Legal experts see the plaintiff Hilal Hamoud’s dropping of his personal lawsuit against the Lebanese artist as a real turning point in the course of the file, especially with Shaker and his defense team relying on an offensive strategy in recent sessions, which could strengthen his chances of exiting the case with a legal outcome in his favor.