Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri does not seem to like this “unofficial” photo of him by photojournalist Hussein Baydoun. Photo used with permission Lebanese activists took to social media on November 16, 2016 to show solidarity with photojournalist Hussein Baydoun after he was forbidden from covering political events involving Prime Minister Saad Hariri at Beit Al Wasat, the PM's famed mansion. Baydoun, who works at London-based news outlet The New Arab, was told that the ban was put in place due to an ‘unofficial photograph’ he took and published, in which Hariri has one finger in his mouth. Hussein took the controversial photograph at the end of a press conference held on October 20, 2016, in Beit al Wasat, in which Hariri announced his backing of the candidacy of Michel Aoun to the presidency. Later that month, the parliament elected Aoun as the 13th president of Lebanon. On Twitter, Baydoun posted the photo with a short comment in Lebanese Arabic that says “for you” (literal translation: “for your eyes”). لعيونك Photo:Hussein baydoun pic.twitter.com/KdrTwdJ3xI — hussein baydoun (@PhotographyHB) October 20, 2016 Wael Yaman, who manages the PM's website and heads the Digital and Social Media Department at the Future Movement (the political party led by Hariri), admitted on Twitter that Hussein wasn't allowed to enter Beit al Wasat before adding that: @ghazayel@CMPaso@saadhariri the prob is not with the photo rather than the way it was promoted and distributed with a silly caption — Wael Yaman (@WaelYaman) November 16, 2016 Yaman continued to stand by the PM's decision under the pretext that such bans have also been issued in other democratic countries: @CMPaso @ghazayel @saadhariri democracy loll, now ur funny! Even in the White House they can allow x or y journalist to attend it or not — Wael Yaman (@WaelYaman) November 16, 2016 In that same conversation, Mahmoud Ghazayel, a journalist at the UAE newswebsite 20fourMedia, defended the PM's decision by saying: @CMPaso @WaelYaman @saadhariri we can't compare a home with a govermental institute. — محمود غزيّل (@ghazayel) November 16, 2016 But another activist, who tweets at @CMPaso, pointed out that Hariri uses his mansion as a political headquarters and cannot, therefore, be considered a ‘private residence’ during events such as press conferences, which are of public interest: @ghazayel@WaelYaman@saadhariri he is using it as a political headquarter. It's not completely private.He's not hosting a friend for dinner — Paso (@CMPaso) November 16, 2016 The media office of the PM soon changed their position and told Baydoun that one of the reasons behind the ban placed on him was that they had restricted the event to “permanent” reporters only. “Permanent reporters” are those who cover media events at the Parliament, the Presidential Palace, or the Government Palace. Usually, media outlets decide on the journalists and photojournalists they want in those places, who are then granted press passes by the relevant authority. The PM's media office circulated this among mainstream media as well, claiming that Hussein had never been to Beit al Wasat. Baydoun told us he found “ironic” since this was the site in which he took the controversial photograph. He even shared with Global Voices another photo from the same day, in which he appears in a group with PM Hariri and other photojournalists at Beit al Wasat: Baydoun also told Global Voices that there were no prior e-mails sent restricting the event to permanent reporters. He maintains that the restriction was only put in place after he was forbidden from doing his job. As for Beit El Wasat, media outlets are usually asked to send the names of the their journalists who will cover an event there, “for security reasons”. Ironically, the PM himself gave another reason for the ban, contradicting his own media team. Hariri's representatives have said that the photograph, which was supposedly the reason behind banning Baydoun from accessing Beit el Wasat, was actually taken by another photojournalist, Ali Alloush. In fact, both photojournalists captured the same shot but from different angles. Ali's photograph, which was taken for news outlet Al Modon appears on the right. Baydoun's is on the left. Photo uploaded by Mahmoud Ghazayel on Twitter. Left: Photo by Hussein Baydoun for The New Arab. Right: Photo by Ali Alloush for Al Modon. Luckily for Baydoun, his newspaper, the New Arab, is supporting him, a privilege that other journalists do not have. In Baydoun's words: I am fortunate that my newspaper is next to me, offering full support, but not all journalists are offered that. So, we need to have a real photojournalists’ syndicate that fights for our rights.