George Hawi
George Hawi جورج حاوي | |
---|---|
Born | 5 November 1938 |
Died | 21 June 2005 (aged 66) |
Occupation | General Secretary (1979–1993) |
Predecessor | Nicolas Shawi |
Successor | Farouk Dahrouj |
Political party | Lebanese Communist Party Democratic Left Movement[citation needed] |
George Hawi (
Early life and career
George Hawi was born in the village of
He became active in student politics in his early years at university, participating in numerous strikes and demonstrations and in several popular movements. He joined the LCP in 1955[2] and became one of the main leaders of its Student League by the end of the decade. In 1955 he became a member of the LCP which had been illegal in Lebanon.[4]
In 1964, he was imprisoned for his involvement in a strike against Lebanon's state-controlled
Hawi was briefly expelled from the LCP in 1967 for calling for more independence from the policies of the Soviet Union. He rejoined the Party and was elected a member of its political bureau in the second and third congresses in 1968 and 1972. Hawi was elected as the general secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party after its fourth congress in 1979 – a position he kept until 1993 when he resigned.[2] He was the fourth general secretary of the party following Fuad Shemali, Farajallah el-Helou and Nicolas Shawi. He was succeeded by Farouk Dahrouj.
During the
.The LCP was also active in the
He became a critic of the influence of
In June 2005, Hawi claimed in an interview with
Assassination
George Hawi was assassinated on 21 June 2005 when a bomb planted in his Mercedes car was detonated by remote control, as he travelled through Beirut's Wata Musaitbi neighbourhood.[6][7][8] A nearly one-pound charge was placed under his seat,[9] and was detonated by remote control.[8] His driver survived, but Hawi was mortally wounded in the blast.[8] Several sources including the March 14 Alliance and members of the Western media immediately blamed Syria for his killing and for the other explosions in the capital though a definitive culprit has yet to be found.
In August 2011, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon informed members of Hawi's family that they had found a link between his murder and that of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.[10] The STL had previously issued indictments against members of Hezbollah for the Hariri killing.
See also
- Lebanese Communist Party
- Democratic Left Movement
- Hanna Gharib
- Kamal Jumblatt
- Lebanese National Resistance Front
- List of assassinated Lebanese politicians
References
- ^ Short, Ramsay (22 June 2006). "Fierce critic of Syria killed in Beirut blast". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ a b c Karim Mruah (23–29 June 2005). "The price of ideals". Al Ahram Weekly. 748. Archived from the original on 25 March 2013.
- ^ Lawrence Joffe. 22 June 2005. 'Obituary: George Hawi: Lebanese communist leader who espoused Muslim-Christian dialogue', The Guardian (London), p. 29. "What united them was opposition to a supposedly corrupt and pro-western administration, unfairly dominated by factions of Lebanon's Maronite Christian community. Notwithstanding his own professed atheism, Hawi, Greek Orthodox by birth, was valued as an iconic Christian figure within a coalition often painted as sectarian Muslim."
- ^ a b Lianne P. Elise Wood-Vostermans (2020). Debating 'Religious Violence' in Lebanon: A Comparative Perspective on the Mobilisation of Religious and Secular Militias during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) (PhD thesis). Durham University. p. 79.
- ^ "George Hawi knew who killed Kamal Jumblatt". Ya Libnan. 22 June 2005. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Mallat, Chibli. Lebanon's Cedar Revolution An essay on non-violence and justice (PDF). Mallat. p. 124. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2012.
- S2CID 220378402.
- ^ a b c "Hariri Reaches Out to Opponents, As Another anti-Syrian politician is Killed". Asharq Alawsat. 21 June 2005. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ^ Noueihed, Lin (22 June 2006). "Anti-Syrian Politician Killed in Lebanon". The Washington Post. Beirut. Reuters. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ "STL Delegation informs Hawi's family of link to Hariri killing". Daily Star. 13 August 2011. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2011.