Words by Diane Naimeh
The dissident and leading critic of Hezbollah was found dead in his car the morning after he went missing.
On the 4th of February, Lebanese citizens, politicians and foreign embassies in Lebanon woke up to shocking news that political activist Lokman Slim was killed.
Slim, 54, was known for his opposition to Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Lebanese citizens described his killing as ‘severely cruel’ and quite vicious.
Lebanese activists put the blame on Hezbollah for Lokman’s assassination, describing Hezbollah’s actions as sending the wrong message to the world. Former MP Mr Souaid stated that: “the assassination taking place in the Area dominated by Hezbollah , so either tell us how this murder happened or let them bare direct responsibility”. However, Secretary General of the party Hassan Nasrallah described the accusation as being incorrect.
Many politicians such as Micheal Aoun and Saad Hariri as well as foreign embassies including those from the US and Sweden spoke up about the murder of Lokman Slim. Anne Grillo the french ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea the UU ambassador to Lebanon, and Jan Kubis the UN forensic investigator described his death as being ‘cruel’ and ‘inhumane’ as well.
Several sources such as MTV, LBC and many other Lebanese outlets revealed that he had gone missing the night before he was killed.
Various embassies such as France, Sweden, the US, and German ambassadors to Lebanon expressed sorrow and grief towards Lokman’s murder and demanded an immediate investigation into his killing.
The investigation into Lokman’s death is also being demanded by Lokman’s family. Lokman Slim’s family demanded that his death should be investigated properly in order to reveal whether or not he was tortured before he was assassinated. He was shot 6 times before he died.
Lokman’s murder is to be taken seriously and has been described as ‘a major inspection’ by Jan Kubis, and more than that related to the one connected with the Beirut Blast last August.
Slim’s death was reflected as the most horrendous reality that Lebanese citizens and population have had to deal with. Lebanon’s citizens and the country has been facing many issues such as a financial and economic crisis, lack of food and poverty , inflation, high rate of domestic violence whilst in a global pandemic.
Lokman’s death left a major and wounding mark on the Lebanese people, having faced tremendous hardship 6 months back related to the 4 August ammonium nitrate explosion in Beirut. The explosion led to 204 deaths of deaths and 7, 500 injuries. This has left many lebanese citizens homeless and living in poverty.
The murder and assassination of Lokman left a huge scar to the Lebanese population as well as his own family members. The Lebanese population fear that this assassination will give a bad name to the country and its citizens, and it leaves the whole world in misery and shock.
Picture Credit: Footloop