Amnesty, HRW call for investigation into killing of Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch deplored the murder of Lokman Slim and urged for Lebanese authorities to implement a thorough investigation into his killing.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff & Agencies

04 February, 2021

Lebanese academic Lokman Slim was found dead with four gunshot wounds to his head [Getty]

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called for a credible investigation into the murder of Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim, attributing his killing to a culture of impunity in the Lebanon.

Slim, a Lebanese academic, was found dead with four gunshot wounds to his head on Thursday morning after visiting a friend in the south of the country.

Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, deplored Slim's killing and urged for a proper investigation by authorities.

"Lokman Slim was at the forefront of the struggle against impunity in post-war Lebanon actively advocating for the right of the families of the missing and disappeared to justice and truth, alongside families' associations a handful of other organisations and activists brave enough to defy the reigning pattern of impunity," she said.

"Today, Lokman Slim is the victim of this decades-old pattern of impunity, which has ensured that past and present targeted killings of activists, journalists and intellectuals remain unpunished, and for which the Lebanese state is ultimately responsible."

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Lebanese authorities to conduct a "prompt, independent, and transparent investigation" into Slim's murder.

In its statement, HRW pointed to Slim's sister telling the media she doesn't have "any trust" in the Lebanese judiciary, as well as his wife calling for an international investigation.

Michael Page, HRW deputy Middle East director, said the Slim family's lack of trust in the Lebanese judiciary is "warranted".

"Lebanon needs to end the decades of impunity that have left brave individuals and political thinkers without the most basic protections and conduct this investigation with the highest levels of transparency and impartiality," he said.

HRW reported Slim’s friends and colleagues said he was frequently targeted by threats and intimidation from people affiliated with Hezbollah.

Maalouf reflected on the catastrophic 4 August Beirut blast that killed more than 200 people and ravaged swathes of the country’s capital city.

"Today also marks six months since the explosion that hollowed out the capital city Beirut, its people and its spirit, and for which there has been no accountability."

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