Shortly after This Is Lebanon posted this story on this website and on Facebook, the Davoyan family began a desperate campaign to cover-up their wrong doing. Their friend and lawyer, Joseph Yazbeck, an AUB and USJ graduate, has personally messaged many of the followers of this story sending them a message that they perceived as a threat. The full message is on the right.

Since sending that, many Lebanese and domestic workers have reported to us that this has intimidated them into deleting their comments or shared post.

In regards to the specific claims by Joseph Yazbeck:

• Mr. Yazbeck is a lawyer representing the Davoyan family, so that should raise serious doubts about the credibility of his testimony.
• Rosemarie came back to Lebanon in hopes of getting paid and that she hadn't completely lost years of her life for slaving for an ungrateful family. She is still waiting.
• We have no evidence of these claims of Gemma's family. Regardless, they are not material to this case, for the supposed generosity to one person does not justify the enslavement of another.
• The Davoyan family friend is not a credible source for interviewing enslaved and abused domestic workers in the home of their abusers, about whether his friend abused them.
• If Mr. Yazbeck was serious about an investigation, he would take them to the Philippines Embassy where someone with the training and skills could conduct the interview in the safety of Philippines sovereignty.
• If the Davoyan family had any evidence of the full payment of salaries, they would have presented it to discredit us and clear their name.
• There is no evidence of us doing any sort of fear-mongering regarding the revolutionary activity in Lebanon. If there was, he would have provided it.
• Mr. Yazbeck is a lawyer who is unaware of what blackmail actually is. We do not ask the employers for any money. No one has ever presented any evidence of us asking for money because we have never asked for it. We only ask them to pay the wages initially agreed upon to their workers and to send them home. Slavery is not an act that is privileged to any degree of privacy for the perpetrators of the crime. Anyone who commits this heinous act deserves to be exposed, forced to pay, and sent to prison. That is what we should do in every single case. We very graciously offer to not expose them if they pay their workers and send them home.
• Mr. Yazbeck seems to forget that it is the Davoyans who are exploiting the "innocent and weak." This is the type of behavior that people are out on the street protesting. The few have trampled over the many for too long.
• We have been officially warned and we hope that all see the desperation of Mr. Yazbeck and the Davoyan family that they are resorting to intimidating the individual people who are sharing and commenting on the post

Rosemarie and Reina are still in a dire situation. The Davoyans are fighting hard to continue their mistreatment. Who will step-up and help?

This is Lebanon

My name is Joseph Yazbeck, Lawyer from Lebanon, friend of the Davoyan family and social activist.

After watching your video, I allow myself to draw to your followers’ attention the following points:

1- My Personal Knowledge of the Davoyan Family and Rosemarie and Reina:

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I personally know the Davoyan family, Rosemarie and Reina, and I know very well that the family’s relationship with Rosemarie and Reina is unique and they are treated very well and even in an exceptional manner. Rosemarie has been with the Davoyan family since June 2006 (13 years already). On 17 march 2014 she went to visit her family in Philippine, she even stayed with her family 51 days then she decided to return back to Lebanon on 6 may 2014, happily with her own will, because she was very attached to Raffi and Caren Davoyan and the kids. If she had any problems with them why would have she returned from Philippine? why a person will return back if he was not happy at this house? Reina has been with the Davoyan family 6 years and 4 months as well from 20 June 2013 till now.

I remember as well the previous worker Gemma who used to work at the Davoyans when their father Mr Vahe was alive, and it was remarkable that Mr Vahe committed to pay the tuition fees (at school and university) of Gemma’s two elder children even after she left work. He kept supporting her family even after Gemma past away, then the sons of Mr Vahe continued the support after Mr Vahe’s death until Gemmas’ children graduated from university. (You obliged us to disclose such details although they are considered to be family secrets).

2- My Personal Investigation with Rosemarie and Reina:

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When I watched this video, I contacted the family and asked to talk with Rosemarie and Reina. Rosemarie and Reina told me that what happened was the following:

Ms. Patricia (on behalf of This is Lebanon page), contacted them and told them that the situation in Lebanon is unstable and will lead to War (in order to scare them). Therefore, she asked them to film this video (without telling anyone) in order to help them leave Lebanon as soon as possible otherwise they will risk their lives in Lebanon and the Lebanese government will not let anyone leave the country. Rosemarie and Reina told me that they sent the video to Patricia, as per Patricia’s request, in order to facilitate all the paperwork at the embassy and to leave Lebanon. Ms. Patricia told them that the video should be very convincing otherwise they will be dying in Lebanon.

Rosemarie and Reina were surprised when they knew that the video was posted on Facebook and that the target was to blackmail their employer.

3- My Personal Investigation about “This is Lebanon”:

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Based on the previously mentioned facts, I contacted several persons that had previous incidents with This is Lebanon page, and I knew that this page blackmailed them as well in order to pay a certain amount of money in return of not posting or deleting similar videos posted on their page. So obviously, the page’s target is to blackmail people and NOT to help or protect them.

We can notice that the first comment to this video was posted by This is Lebanon page: “Leave a review on their Facebook page: Davoyan Diamonds”. In fact, the Davoyans do not have a facebook page, therefore, This is Lebanon page created a new page for the “Davoyan Diamonds”. The proof is that the date of creation of “Davoyan Diamonds” page is the same as the date of posting the video on This is Lebanon. This proves that the target is simply to defame and blackmail the employer.

4- The Legal Fraud committed by “This is Lebanon” and a note to its readers:

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It is clear that what happened can be legally described as “Blackmailing” since the page asked for money and used illegal means to damage the reputation of the employer and to blackmail a well-known family by exploiting and utilizing innocent and weak workers.

It is a shame to show the public that you are aiming to help people whereas your real target is to blackmail people using illegal means such as creating fake pages on facebook or other platforms to harm them and exert pressure on them to get the requested amount of money.

WARNING

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Please consider this comment as an official warning to “This is Lebanon” page, and to any person sharing this video, since the latter shall be considered to be a partner in the same crime and a participant in blackmailing the Davoyan Family.

Noting that the mentioned page is administered by a Nepali person living in Canada and targeting Lebanese people by blackmailing them. May justice be done in Lebanon or at distance!

Meanwhile, please be careful not to fall victim to this page, and help us by reporting this page to save other potential victims.