Gebran Ghassan Tueni (; 15 September 1957 – 12 December 2005) was a Lebanese politician and the former editor and publisher of daily paper '' An Nahar'', established by his grandfather, also named Gebran Tueni, in 1933. He was assassinated in 2005 as part of a series of assassinations of Syria's critics in Lebanon.

Early life

Gebran Tueni was born in Beirut on 15 September 1957. His father, Ghassan Tueni, was born into a prominent Lebanese Greek Orthodox

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

from Achrafieh, Beirut for more than 3 centuries, and was a veteran journalist and politician. His mother was the Francophone,

Lebanese Druze The Lebanese Druze () are an ethnoreligious group constituting about 5.2 percentNadia Hamadeh. His paternal grandfather was Gebran Tueni, a famous journalist and an

Arab Renaissance The Nahda (, meaning 'the Awakening'), also referred to as the Arab Awakening or Arab Enlightenment, was a cultural movement that flourished in Arabs, Arab-populated regions of the Ottoman Empire, notably in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Tunisia, ...

figure who founded ''Al Ahrar'' and later on '' An Nahar''. Gebran Tueni was named after his grandfather. His maternal grandfather, Mohammed Ali Hamadeh, was a diplomat and writer. His maternal uncle is the former Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh and the former journalist of An Nahar newspaper who was in Saad Hariri political party, Ali Hamadeh. At age 18, Gebran Tueni experienced the horror of sectarian intolerance with the outbreak of the

Lebanese civil war The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. He also served in the Lebanese army under a then law requiring students to serve for a year as reservists, either after high school or after college graduation. He served at Henry Chehab Barracks, and after boot camp he worked in the administrative section of the barracks in 1976, he was shot by

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

fighters that year, and was later kidnapped for 36 hours by Christian militiamen in 1977.

Education

Tueni received Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations from

École des Hautes Études École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

in 1980. At the same period, he studied journalism at Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme de Paris and graduated in 1980. He also studied management at CEDEP-INSEAD in 1992.

Career

Tueni's journalism career started when he became the general manager, editor in chief and editorialist for the weekly magazine ''An Nahar Arab and International'' that he and other journalists launched in Paris in 1979 and that was published until 1990. Then, he served as the general director of the daily paper '' An Nahar'' from 1993 to 1999 and the general director of the monthly magazine ''Noun'' from 1997 to 2000. His friendship with General Michel Aoun led to his exile to Paris from 1990 to 1993. He became an active member of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) in 1990 and WAN's advisor on Middle-Eastern affairs. He was also a member of WAN's Fund for Press Freedom Development, created in 1994. Tueni was the publisher, chairman of the board, director and editorialist of ''An Nahar'' beginning on 1 January 2000 until his death on 12 December 2005. He came to international prominence in March 2000 when he wrote a front-pag
letter
to

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

, son and then-heir apparent to then-Syrian president

Hafez al-Assad Hafez al-Assad (6 October 193010 June 2000) was a Syrian politician and military officer who was the president of Syria from 1971 until Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad, his death in 2000. He was previously the Prime Minister of Syria ...

calling for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon following the 1990 Taif Accords that ended Lebanon's civil war. With this editorial, he broke an important press taboo. His letter was published when a summit between then-US president

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

and then-Syrian President Hafez Assad was held in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. Tueni's letter led to a public objection from some newspapers and Lebanese officials. However, other writers agreed with its premises. In April 2001, he cofounded the Qornet Shehwan Gathering together with nearly thirty Lebanese Christian politicians and public figures. In March 2005, he contributed to the

Cedar Revolution The Cedar Revolution (), also known as the Independence uprising (), was a chain of demonstrations in Lebanon (especially in the capital Beirut) triggered by the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The popular movemen ...

demonstrations during which he gave the speech, "In the name of God We, Muslims and Christians, Pledge that united we shall remain to the end of time to better defend our Lebanon". In May 2005, he was elected a member of

Parliament of Lebanon The Lebanese Parliament (, ) is the unicameral national parliament of the Lebanon, Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in Electoral district, multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's divers ...

for the

Eastern Orthodox Christian Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

seat in Beirut's first district on an anti-Syrian slate, namely Martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's Beirut Decision List, led by

Saad Hariri Saad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri ( ; born 18 April 1970) is a Lebanese people, Lebanese businessman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. The son of Rafic Hariri, he ...

Views

Tueni was a staunch advocate for freedom of speech and promoted critical discourse regarding the regime of

. He viewed

as a "new generation" leader and harbored hopes that his leadership would finally herald a transformation in Syria's political dynamics concerning Lebanon. However, as Bashar al-Assad aligned himself with then-Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Hezbollah Secretary-General

Hassan Nasrallah Hassan Nasrallah (, ; 31 August 196027 September 2024) was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the third secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 2024. Bor ...

, instead of backing Lebanon's "democratic forces", Tueni's optimism gradually waned. He consequently became an outspoken critic of the Syrian government and its policies in Lebanon.

Assassination and burial

Although Tueni continued his editorials in ''An Nahar'', he was out of Beirut until shortly before his death. After the assassination of

Rafic Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. Hariri headed fi ...

, he learned that he was on the top of a hit list and started taking preventative steps, like switching cars every other day. In June 2005, his star columnist

Samir Kassir Samir Kassir (; 5 May 1960 – 2 June 2005) was a Lebanese-Palestinian journalist of '' An-Nahar'' and professor of history at Saint-Joseph University, who was an advocate of democracy and prominent opponent of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. ...

was assassinated. Then, he left Lebanon and stayed in Paris for a while and came back on 11 December 2005. Tueni was assassinated by a car bomb on 12 December 2005 in Mkalles, an industrial suburb of Beirut, while he drove from his home in Beit Meri (Mount Lebanon) to his newspaper's offices in Beirut's Martyrs' Square. Two of his bodyguards were also killed in the blast. He was the seventh target in a series of assassinations of politicians, journalists and security personnel that had begun in Lebanon in 2005. According to sources his assassination among several others, were executed by Unit 121, as part of Hezbollah's policy. His body was buried at Saint Dimitrius church graves after the funeral that took place at Saint George church in Beirut. Tens of thousands of mourners filled the streets of Beirut for Tueni's funeral on 14 December 2005. Many mourners blamed Syria for his death due to his anti-Syrian policy and they chanted anti-Syrian slogans. The members of the Lebanese parliament also observed a moment of silence during a special parliamentary session. Continuing the play on words with "An nahar" (''The Day''), family members stated that night would not fall on the newspaper.

Reactions and perpetrators

Initial reports published in '' Elaph'' indicated that a hitherto unknown group, " Strugglers for the Unity and Freedom of al-Sham" (where al-Sham refers to ancient Greater Syria) claimed responsibility. The statement taking responsibility was also faxed to ''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

'' and included a warning that the same fate awaited other opponents of "Arabism" in Lebanon, claiming that the assassination has succeeded in "shutting up" a traitor, and "turning An-Nahar (Arabic for ''Day'') into ″Dark Night″. Several anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians blamed

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. However, Syrian authorities denied responsibility or complicity and stated that the crime was aimed at directing fresh accusations against Syria. Commentators stressed that the explosion occurred only a few hours before

the UN The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

investigating commission was due to submit an update of its report on the Hariri assassination to then-UN Secretary General

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...

. In response, Lebanese Prime Minister

Fouad Siniora Fouad Siniora (; born 19 July 1943) is a Lebanese politician. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 2005 to 2009. He served as minister of Finance from 2000 to 2004. Early career In the 1970s, Sanioura ...

announced that he would ask the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

to investigate Syrian complicity in the deaths of Tueni and other prominent anti-Syrian figures. Before his death, Tueni was campaigning for an international probe into recently discovered mass graves in Anjar next to the main Syrian intelligence headquarters. Forensic analysis later showed the graves were part of an 18th-century cemetery. In his last editorial, Tueni accused Syria of committing "crimes against humanity" and blamed them for the mass graves and other atrocities committed in Lebanon during their presence. His articles and editorials in '' An Nahar'' often raised the ire of the Syrians. Koïchiro Matsuura, director-general of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

, said, "The global press community has lost one of its great defenders. Mr Tueni’s death is a terrible loss not only for his family, friends and colleagues, but for the cause of freedom of expression and press freedom in the Middle East. I must also voice my concern over the increasing number of attacks on Lebanese journalists and politicians in the course of this year."

Lawsuit

Boutros Harb is the lawyer of the Tueni family, and filed a lawsuit in October 2012 against two Syrian officers due to their alleged roles in Gebran Tueni's assassination.

Personal life

Gebran Tueni was first married to Mirna Murr. The couple had two daughters, Nayla and Michelle. Mirna Murr is the daughter of Michel Murr, a Lebanese politician. They later divorced. His second spouse was Siham Asseily. He had twin daughters, Gabriella and Nadia, from his second marriage, who were just a few months old when he was killed.

Legacy

Gebran Tueni Award

The

World Association of Newspapers The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization made up of 76 national newspaper associations, 12 news agencies, 10 regional press organisations, and many individual newspaper e ...

established a Gebran Tueni Award in 2006 after his death to be bestowed on "a newspaper publisher or editor in the Arab world who demonstrates the free press values" of the award's namesake. The award has been given to the following journalists and media figures: *2012: Ali Farzat, Syrian cartoonist *2010: Aboubakr Jamaï, '' Le Journal Hebdomadaire'', Morocco *2009: Asos Hardi, '' Awene'', Iraqi Kurdistan *2008: Ibrahim Essa, '' Al Dustour'', Egypt *2007: Michel Hajji Georgiou, '' L'Orient Le Jour'', Lebanon *2006: Nadia Al-Sakkaf, '' Yemen Times'', Yemen

Gebran Tueni Human Rights Fellowship Program

The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and the Hariri Foundation-USA launched the Gebran G. Tueni Human Rights Fellowship Program on 21 January 2009. The Fellows were planned to undertake a major research project focusing on the areas of freedom of speech, arbitrary detention, or discrimination against minorities, displaced populations, or other vulnerable groups in one or more countries in the Middle East.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tueni, Gibran 1957 births 2005 deaths Assassinated Lebanese politicians 21st-century Lebanese politicians Assassinated Lebanese journalists 21st-century Lebanese journalists Assassinated Lebanese newspaper publishers (people) Lebanese newspaper publishers (people) Deaths by car bomb in Lebanon Greek Orthodox Christians from Lebanon Lebanese democracy activists Lebanese newspaper editors Lebanese socialites Lebanese terrorism victims People murdered in Lebanon Terrorism deaths in Lebanon Members of the Parliament of Lebanon Lebanese writers Gebran École supérieure de journalisme de Paris alumni Asian politicians assassinated in the 2000s Lebanese people of Syrian descent Politicians assassinated in 2005 Deaths by explosive device