Kassir murder still unpunished after one year, rally tomorrow in Paris

Reporters Without Borders today called for a meeting in solidarity with the family of slain journalist Samir Kassir at Trocadero Square in Paris tomorrow, on the first anniversary of his murder in Beirut. Kassir had French and Lebanese citizenship. “A year has gone by since Kassir's death,” said the press freedom organisation, which has been granted civil party status in the case. “It is high time the French and Lebanese authorities worked together on this. We deplore the delay in the investigation. The French judicial authorities have nonetheless been on the case since last July. Everyone involved must be questioned as quickly as possible.” Reporters Without Borders added: “We are also awaiting an official statement from the Lebanese authorities. They must undertake to quickly receive the French investigating judge who has been assigned to the case, Jean-Louis Bruguière.” Kassir's widow, Gisèle Khoury, told Reporters Without Borders she was very disturbed by the slow pace with which the French judicial authorities were proceeding. “Time is not on our side,” she said. “The pro-Syrian camp is recovering the initiative in Lebanese politics. This is giving the criminals hope. Judge Bruguière should have come as originally planned last December, when the four generals suspected of involvement in (former prime minister) Rafic Hariri's murder were arrested.” Khoury added: “They should tell me now if I have to wait for more than 20 years to know the truth, as in the case of Michel Seurat. The Lebanese authorities told me they were ready to receive Bruguière since May. What is holding him up? He should go to Beirut as quickly as possible.” William Bourdon, a lawyer who represents the Kassir family and the newspaper Al-Nahar, reported that he had undertaken “a number of initiatives aimed as speeding up Bruguière's visit.” He said: “In principle, his visit should have taken place two months ago. We are expecting a lot from him.” He added that “certain hearings” had already taken place. Kassir was killed when a bomb planted in his car went off on the morning of 2 June 2005 outside his home in the neighbourhood of Achrafieh in East Beirut. A writer and historian, Kassir had been a columnist for the past 10 years for An-Nahar (“The Day” in Arabic), a daily newspaper with a circulation of 55,000. He was the correspondent of the French-language international television station TV5 and had written for many years for the French monthly Le Monde Diplomatique. He was also professor of political sciences at Beirut's St. Joseph university. As a political activist, Kassir was one of the founders of the opposition Movement of the Democratic Left and participated in the anti-Syrian protests in the spring of 2005. He had been threatened and hounded for years because of his public positions and his criticism of the “Lebanese police state.” Lebanese state security police harassed him in 2000 and his Lebanese passport was confiscated. He later said he was constantly followed by Lebanese and Syrian intelligence agents at that time. He then received protection from Hariri before Hariri resigned as prime minister and was himself assassinated. Kassir's last column, on 27 May, was headlined “Gaffe after gaffe” and criticised “the continuing repression in Syria.” Last year was a grim one for the Lebanese press, with two other journalists also being targeted by bombings which, like Kassir's, have still not been solved. Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation presenter May Chidiac was maimed by a car bomb on 25 September and An-Nahar CEO Gebran Tuéni was killed by one on 12 December.