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Lebanon has always rebelled against political repression
For years the Arab intellectual elite looked to Lebanon, coveting its atmosphere of freedom. Feigning the non-existence of repression, Beirut welcomed intellectuals from across the region, published their works and celebrated them. Yet, even following the murder of Lokman Slim, the powers that be are incapable of controlling everything. An essay by Elias Khoury
What’s the difference between an assassination and an execution? This is the headache of a question facing Lebanese; it existed before Lokman Slim was killed, and it looks likely to preoccupy people for a long while to come. The question goes to the heart of the cultural scene and the intellectuals in Lebanon, Egypt and the Arab Levant.
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The murder of a prominent Lebanese publisher marked a resumption of assassinations against outspoken members of the intelligentsia in a country where freedom of speech has eroded over the past decade.
Lokman Slim was found dead in his rental car on Thursday morning after he had gone missing in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold, the night before.
The powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah is an armed group with political representation in Parliament. A vocal critic of the group, Slim had received threats in December 2019, after its supporters accused him of promoting normalisation with Israel.
His assassination is reminiscent of that of other outspoken writers and activists over the years.