A young woman who became famous when she allegedly kung-fu kicked a Lebanese ministerial bodyguard in the groin is facing a military tribunal.
Herz Alaywe Malak became an icon of the 2019 Lebanese protests when a video of her kicking a ministerial bodyguard went viral in October last year.
The incident, however, meant that she was summoned to court on 19th February and will now face a military trial in November this year.
Video Credit: CEN
Reports said she has been charged with bodily harm and insulting the security forces.
She was initially charged by a civil court, but the case has now been referred to a military court.
The ongoing protests were triggered on 17th October by planned taxes on petrol, tobacco and VoIP calls on applications such as WhatsApp.
However, the movement quickly grew into a country-wide condemnation of sectarian rule, the stagnant economy, unemployment, endemic corruption, legislation perceived to protect the ruling class from accountability, and failures from the government to provide basic services such as electricity, water and sanitation.
Herz Alaywe Malak’s ‘kung fu’ became a symbol of the troubles and the image has been adapted into city murals, posters and social media memes calling on citizens to take to the streets.
Her husband Mouhamad Herz posted a photo of the couple on his Facebook page with the caption: “This is how we got a Medal of Honour… a warrant from the military judiciary.”
According to local media, the couple go married in late October amid the protests because it is where “everything started”. They first met at a demonstration in 2015 when people protested the country’s ongoing waste management crisis.
Herz Alaywe Malak 
Malak Alawiye kicking minister’s bodyguard
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Story By: Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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