Unknown assailants broke into the places of work of Lebanon’s state-run Nationwide Information Company, stealing servers containing archives courting again to 1961, in accordance with a press release from caretaker Data Minister Ziad Makari.
The archives, which contained pictures, occasions, and materials of nice historic worth, are positioned in a constructing that homes two ministries, adjoining to the heavily-guarded Inside Ministry which is answerable for safety within the nation.
The theft occurred in a tightly secured space.
The Data Ministry workers found the break-in once they noticed the door to the archive room under floor degree open and its lock damaged.
The thieves additionally stole 5 computer systems.
Makari later tweeted that solely a small a part of the archives was stolen, and the principle database continues to be accessible.
“The repercussions of the theft are each ethical and materials,” he tweeted. “Work is underway, and we is not going to cease till we uncover the perpetrators and punish them.”
For years, Lebanon has struggled to fund and preserve its state media companies and archives. In 2022, France and Lebanon signed an settlement to digitize its archives as a part of wider efforts to protect Lebanese heritage and historical past.
Laure Sleiman, director of the company between 2009 and 2019 who led the archival course of informed The Related Press “I belief within the work of the intelligence department, however it’ll all rely on who stole it and if politics will intervene within the investigation because it at all times does.”
The Data Ministry is presently investigating the theft and is working to apprehend the perpetrators.
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Destroying archives of and attacking media shops was a standard follow of the Assad regime throughout the Syrian occupation of Lebanon and is a standard follow by occupational forces to erase or revise historical past.
Lebanon has gaps of a whole lot of years in its historical past as a result of prevention of record-keeping by Lebanese for hundreds of years below Ottoman rule.
This newest theft is a stark reminder of the challenges Lebanon faces in preserving its historical past and heritage within the midst of a crippling financial disaster.
The Data Ministry’s investigation and efforts to uncover and punish the perpetrators are important in guaranteeing that the stolen archives are returned and justice is served.
