BEIRUT: The Publications Court heard the testimony of retired Gen. Jamil Sayyed Wednesday as he defended himself against a slander and defamation lawsuit brought by former Justice Minister Charles Rizk.

Rizk filed the lawsuit against Sayyed, the former head of General Security, over the latter’s use of a string of abusive words used to describe him during an interview by Al-Manar TV in July. During his testimony, Sayyed confirmed that he used those words to describe Rizk.

“This is an accurate description of acts which he [Rizk] committed in violation of all professional and moral rules,” Sayyed said. “It is a mere description of certain acts. This is not cursing or bad words.”

During the Al-Manar interview, Sayyed said that Rizk asked then-U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman in 2007 to pressure the Lebanese judiciary to not release Sayyed and three other officers, who were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The court will hold another session on Feb. 29 when the attorneys of both can file motions.

Separately, the Publications Court fined Mariam Bassam, the news programs director at Al-Jadeed TV, journalist Ghada Eid and Mohammad Taqsh LL6 million each and ordered that they jointly pay another LL6 million along with Al-Jadid TV as compensation to Abbas Musawi, the director general of the Bekaa Water Authority.

Eid made accusations against Musawi during the episode of her weekly program on Al-Fasad (Corruption) that aired on Oct. 27 last year.

The court also fined Said Nassereddine, the responsible director of Al-Bayraq daily, LL6 million for publishing “libel, fabrications and false news” in the paper’s April 23, 2009 issue.

The court fined Algerian singer Fulla and Anwar Khattar, the director of Snob magazine, each LL6 million and ordered that they jointly pay another LL6 million along with Snob Publishing Group Company to Salem Hindi as compensation.