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AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL
Public Statement
AI Index: MDE 18/006/2005 (Public)
News Service No: 153
2 June 2005
Lebanon
Killing
of Samir Qasir
Need
for independent investigation and for freedom of expression to be respected
Amnesty International calls for the Lebanese authorities to launch an
immediate, independent and impartial investigation into the killing this
morning of journalist Samir Qasir, who died in a car bomb explosion in front
of his house in Ashrafiyeh, east Beirut. One other person was injured. Samir
Qasir, 45, a professor at Université Saint
Josef and a prominent writer for an-Nahar newspaper, was renowned for his
critical writing including of the Lebanese authorities and Syria's activities
in Lebanon. The organisation urges all political groups to
respect freedom of expression in the country and to refrain from acts of
violence against civilians.
In
October 1997 Samir Qasir agreed to sit on a panel in Beirut for the launch of
Amnesty International's first report on Lebanon, a testimony to his bravery at
a time when people were particularly cautious about associating themselves
with the organisation or otherwise criticising human rights abuses in the
country. Ever since, Samir Qasir has remained a supporter of Amnesty
International and its work in the region, and in 2000 he assisted in a
training session it organised for young journalists on human rights standards
and the media.
In
2000/2001 Samir Qasir was harassed by the Lebanese police and his passport
confiscated for a period of time because of his critical articles, published
by an-Nahar.
The
explosion that killed Samir Qasir is at least the sixth to have occurred since
the bomb that killed former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri and more than 20
others on 14 February.
Amnesty
International expresses its sorrow at the killing of Samir Qasir and sends
condolences to his family and colleagues.
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