BEIRUT — Twitter has blocked the accounts of several Lebanese journalists and activists over the past two weeks. The commentators and activists are in favor of the protests that began in Ocbober and have been tweeting about the demonstrations on a daily basis. Most of them believe their accounts were reported by Twitter users who support the authorities and oppose the protests.

Among those whose accounts have been blocked are Salman Andary, Michel HajjiGeorgiou, Sabine Youssef, Nicole Najjar, Jay Rahmeh and Roger Edde. 

The protests broke out Oct. 17, as demonstrators took to the streets across Lebanon to protest the deteriorating economic and social conditions and claim basic human rights. Ever since, social media platforms have been used as a source of information in the absence of coverage by traditional media outlets. 

A journalist told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “While covering the tense demonstrations on the evening of Dec. 15, I was surprised to see that my account was blocked. Dozens of other accounts supporting the popular protests were also blocked at the same time! This raises questions about Twitter’s policy. An explanation is in order. Is this the website’s policy, or are there campaigns against us? Some people have not been able to recover their accounts yet,” he said.