Car bomb kills anti-Syrian journalist
Beirut (AsiaNews) A car bomb exploded in a mostly Christian area in east Beirut, killing Samir Qasir, a Christian Orthodox columnist with the An-Nahar (The Day) newspaper. The daily is widely read in the country and is edited by Gebran Ghassan Tueini, a newly-elected Member of the National Assembly for Saad Hariri's list.
Qasir was a member of the opposition Democratic Left movement and was well-known for his anti-Syrian views.
He had been threatened several times in the past for his articles on corruption linked to the Syrian presence in the country.
In his last article, "The hour of change is near", he analysed the Lebanese situation following the assassination of Rafik Hariri and the pullout of Syrian troops.
"The events that followed the March 14 rally to commemorate the death of Rafik Hariri confirm that the hour of change is near," he wrote. "Change shall come and shall wipe the slate of the state clean of its corruption and of those who have ruined the country".
"This change won't drop from planes, nor will it be enacted by decrees or in just a few days," he said.
"Reform will need people of integrity and good will; people who are honest, clean and who are believers; people whose first duty will be to revamp the legal system and find a solution to the economic crisis that is overwhelming Lebanon".
He ended his article noting that "30 years of oppression, 30 years of hegemony are over. We are waiting for a young leader who is courageous and capable of making us forget the pain and sufferings of this period".
The Lebanese President Émile Lahoud went to the headquarters of Journalists' Union to express his condolences. Afterwards, he convened a special cabinet meeting for the afternoon.
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25/07/2005
