Lebanese Freed TikTok Star ‘Doctor Food’ Under New Amnesty Law

Release Under Amnesty Law

Lebanese authorities have released the well-known TikTok creator Georges Dib, who is better known as “Doctor Food” to his more than eight million followers, dropping the charges against him under a newly enacted amnesty law. Lebanon, which continues to navigate a complex political and economic environment, saw the move as part of a broader clemency initiative.

Legal Background and Arrest

Dib was taken into custody in August after having been sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in March. Two years earlier, state-run media reported an arrest warrant accusing him of “manufacturing narcotics, trafficking and smuggling abroad”. In addition to his online fame, he owns several confectionery businesses. A judicial source told AFP that the judiciary “decided to drop the charges against him in the drug case for which he was recently arrested, since he is covered by the general amnesty law”.

Online Presence and Personal Life

Until his arrest at his home in the north, Dib continued to post on TikTok, insisting he was “innocent” and urging his followers “not to listen” to what was being said about him. Parliament passed the sweeping amnesty law, which covers drug offences among other crimes, on August 12; it is the country’s first such measure since 1991. Georges Dib first rose to prominence alongside his ex-wife Shorouk, a Canadian of Palestinian origin followed by more than 15 million people, through videos about cooking and their daily life. The couple separated after she alleged abuse.