Mass Held on 7th Assassination Anniversary of Gebran Tueni
A mass was held at the St. Demetrius Church in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district on Wednesday on the seventh anniversary of the assassination of MP Gebran Tueni.
Beirut Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Audeh, who celebrated the mass, said Tueni's killing “was a big shock to the youth who dreamed of living in peace in their nation.”
“Isn't it time to end selfishness and bury hatred?” he wondered.
“Let's unite to protect our Lebanon and let mutual love become our principle,” he said.
Tueni, the former editor and publisher of An Nahar newspaper, was assassinated in a car bomb blast in Mkalles on Dec. 12, 2005. He was among a series of anti-Syrian officials who were assassinated or escaped murder in the aftermath of the Feb. 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Tueni's daughter Michele said in a statement after the mass that Lebanon is missing bold stances.
“However, our consolation lies in the freedom which has become contagious as you were hoping,” she said addressing her father.
Syrian cartoonist Ali Farzat was on Tuesday named the winner of the Gebran Tueni Award.
The annual prize is awarded by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and An Nahar daily to a media professional who demonstrates the values incarnated in Tueni.
Farzat's satirical drawings targeting corruption and lampooning dictators have been published worldwide. He has received numerous international awards including the prestigious Dutch Prince Claus Award for "achievement in culture and development.”
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