Marwan Charbel (born 1947) is a retired Lebanese brigadier general and the former minister of interior and municipalities between 2011 and 2013.

Early life and education

Charbel was born in 1947. He entered the military academy in 1968 and graduated as a lieutenant in 1971. Then he obtained a bachelor's degree in law from

Lebanese University The Lebanese University (LU) (, ) is the only public university in Beirut, Lebanon. It is ranked #701–750 worldwide in terms of education. The creation of the Lebanese University was an idea first mentioned in the speech of the former Minist ...

in 1981.

Career

Charbel served in various units of the

Internal Security Forces The Internal Security Forces Directorate ( ar, المديرية العامة لقوى الأمن الداخلي, al-Mudiriyya al-'aamma li-Qiwa al-Amn al-Dakhili; french: Forces de Sécurité Intérieure; abbreviated ISF) is the national police ...

. Then he became a major general in the Internal Security Forces. He was the advisor of caretaker interior minister

Ziyad Baroud Ziyad Baroud ( ar, زياد بارود ; born 29 April 1970) is a French Lebanese civil servant and civil society activist. He served as minister of interior and municipalities, considered to be one of the most powerful positions in the country, ...

. In June 2011, he was appointed minister of interior and municipalities to the cabinet led by prime minister

Najib Mikati Najib Azmi Mikati ( ar, نجيب عزمي ميقاتي; born 24 November 1955) is a Lebanese politician and businessman, and three-time Prime Minister of Lebanon whose current term began in September 2021. He also serves as the acting President ...

, replacing Ziyad Baroud in the post. Charbel was part of the group appointed by President

Michel Suleiman Michel Suleiman ( ar, ميشال سليمان ; born 21 November 1948) is a Lebanese Maronite Christian politician who served as President of Lebanon from 2008 to 2014. Before becoming president, he served as commander of the Lebanese Armed For ...

in the cabinet. His appointment was one of the major points significantly discussed during the negotiation process for the establishment of the cabinet. He was considered to be a friends with both the Lebanese president Michel Sulaiman and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader

Michel Aoun Michel Naim Aoun ( ar, ميشال نعيم عون ; born 30 September 1933) is a Lebanese politician and former military general who served as the President of Lebanon from 31 October 2016 until 30 October 2022. Born in Haret Hreik to a M ...

. In fact, he was seen as a member of FPM. In 2011, Charbel proposed the hybrid-system reform in regard to

legislative elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ...

to be held in 2013. In February 2014, Charbel's term ended when Nouhad Machnouk was appointed to the post.

Personal life

Charbel is married and has three daughters.

Controversy

In early May 2013 Charbel stated on Al Jadeed TV that Lebanon was opposed to homosexuals (using the derogatory Arabic term for homosexuals, 'liwat') and that

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

was a felony in Lebanon. These remarks followed shortly after the controversial raid and closing of a gay-friendly nightclub in

Dekwaneh Dekwaneh ( ar, دكوانة translit. Dikwene) (also Dekweneh) is a suburb north of Beirut in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon. The population is predominantly Maronite Christian. Tel al-Zaatar, an UNRWA administered Pa ...

during which it is reported that several gay men and a transgender woman were falsely arrested and abused by security forces acting on the direct instructions of the mayor of Dekwaneh, Antoine Chakhtoura. Charbel's office subsequently posted a clarification on Facebook that Charbel was not passing a judgment, but was merely stating that while gay marriage was recently legalized in France it was still prohibited in Lebanon.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charbel, Marwan 1947 births Living people Interior ministers of Lebanon Lebanese Maronites Lebanese military personnel Lebanese University alumni Brigadier generals