Saturday, 16 May will be the anniversary of the assassination of a giant of Arab journalism, Kamel Mrowa, the founder of Al-Hayat newspaper. A paid criminal entered his office on that day in 1966 and killed him with a silencer-equipped pistol, in the newspaper's building in Beirut. The assassination of Mrowa shook Lebanon and the Arab region, and everyone who knew him in Europe, Africa and the United States. He left behind a network of relations from east to west, which immortalized his name among the world's leading newspapermen. His assassination, at the hands of a killer paid by an Arab regime that tolerated no opposition or criticism, was an example of a monstrous method used by some regimes in our region and some regional forces, to silence honest voices that call for reform and progress for peoples who need them. Kamel Mrowa and Salim Lawzi were two leading Lebanese journalists who were cut down by treacherous hands; friends and colleagues like Samir Kassir and the dear Gebran Tueni met the same fate. Assassinations are the craven and horrific method used to silence those who annoy, since such people want reform and want to change the course of events in their countries, to see a better future, and to secure freedom, justice and a dignified life. Today, Lebanon is in the midst of a parliamentary election campaign, and is seeing hateful media campaign by all sides. We miss the editorials of Kamel Mrowa or Samir Kassir, and the voice of Gebran Tueni and his appearances on satellite stations, calling for independence, sovereignty and freedom for Lebanon. The verbal sparring among the heads of parties and candidates, which is now taking place as part of the campaign, is embarrassing in a country that is recovering and preparing for an important phase of its history. The media campaigns, whichever group has mounted them, have been insulting to the country and its people. The accusations by politicians, made against each other, and their campaigns of tit-for-tat are a backward method that has little to do with democracy. No newspaper, whatever its identity, should publish lies as a part of a campaign against a political leader. A political leader should respect his country's institutions and not attack the president of the Republic, when the latter is merely playing his role, and refusing to enter the verbal sparring matches. Only a few weeks separate us from the elections on 7 June; it would be useful to recall what Samir Kassir wrote once, on the “Dream Statement,” when he said that he dreamt of a statement by the Lebanese, in which they said “We Lebanese citizens are angered by the deterioration in political life and are shocked by the falsification of facts, which obscures our vision and prevents us from understanding the changes in our region.” He added, “In the period preceding an election round that gives us hope of seeing new blood in our parliamentary institutions, we have gathered together to make our voices heard, out of a desire to change the course of events in the state…we dream of a country that is strengthened by its difference, a country liberated from sectarianism. We dream of a country that is loyal to its people, protected by its independent judiciary, popular support and a free society, not one that is under the weight of division, which produces intelligence agencies.” Kassir went on to say, “We dream of a democratic culture that expands to other Arab countries, a culture that adopts the liberation of Palestine and is not afraid of freedom of opinion, whether in Syria or in Iraq.” Samir Kassir's dream should be the dream of the Lebanese voter; the role of a strong, respected journalist is to guide the people of his country toward the best, and not conduct wild campaigns against this or that party. Today, as we salute the memory of the giants of the pen who have been assassinated, let us dream of an international tribunal that reveals the truth about the assassinations that have rocked Lebanon, beginning with Rafic Hariri and all of those who fell with him, and after him. Sooner or later, the truth will appear, because the martyrs did not commit suicide; they were assassinated by the hand of treachery. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon will have its say! Kamel Mrowa's motto, “Have your say and move on,” is a beautiful one, despite its heavy price in Lebanon and this region. This is why Kamel Mrowa, Salim Lawzi, Samir Kassir and Gebran Tueni were murdered.
