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==External links==
==External links==
{{Wikiquotepar|Samir Geagea}}
{{Wikiquotepar|Samir Geagea}}
*[http://www.lebanese-forces.com Lebanese Forces Party Official Website]
*[http://www.lebanese-forces.org Lebanese Forces Party Official Website]
*[http://www.samirgeagea.com Website about Samir Geagea]
*[http://www.samirgeagea.com Website about Samir Geagea]
*[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hussain-abdulhussain/lebanons-samir-geagea-a-m_b_530976.html Hussain Abdul-Hussain: Lebanon's Samir Geagea: A Maverick --Huffington Post--]
*[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hussain-abdulhussain/lebanons-samir-geagea-a-m_b_530976.html Hussain Abdul-Hussain: Lebanon's Samir Geagea: A Maverick --Huffington Post--]

Revision as of 18:40, 15 May 2010

Samir Geagea
File:Samirgeageaa.jpg
Samir Geagea during the Lebanese civil war
BornOctober 25, 1952 (1952-10-25)
Ain El Remmaneh
NationalityLebanese
EducationDoctor of Medicine
OccupationPolitician
TitleChairman of the Executive Committee of the Lebanese Forces
PredecessorElie Hobeika
Political partyLebanese Forces
SpouseSethrida Taouk Geagea
Websitehttp://www.lebanese-forces.com/

Samir Farid Geagea (Arabic: سمير فريد جعجع, also spelled Samir Ja`ja`), born October 25, 1952, is the current leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF) political party. He is also a senior figure in the March 14 Alliance,[1] alongside Saad Hariri and Amine Gemayel.

He took leadership of the Lebanese Forces in 1986. After the civil war, there was increased pressure by Syria on Geagea to accept the Syrian presence or face charges.[citation needed] Prior to his arrest, he was contacted by several sympathetic politicians and warned about the forthcoming proceedings and offered safe passage out of Lebanon.[citation needed] In 1994, four years after the end of the Lebanese Civil War, Geagea was tried for ordering four political assassinations, including the assassination of Lebanon's Prime Minister Rashid Karami in 1987, and the unsuccessful attempted assassination of Defense Minister Michel Murr in 1991.[2] He denied all charges, but was found guilty and sentenced to four death sentences, each of which was commuted to life in prison.[2] Geagea was imprisoned in solitary confinement below the Lebanese Ministry of Defense building in Beirut for the next 11 years.[2] He is the only Lebanese militia leader to have been imprisoned for crimes committed during the Lebanese Civil War.[2]

Following the Cedar Revolution, and the subsequent withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, a newly-elected Lebanese Parliament voted to grant him amnesty on July 18, 2005.[2]

Early life and education

Geagea was born in Ain el Remmmaneh, a suburb of Beirut in 1952 to a modest Maronite family from the town of Bsharri, Northern Lebanon.He's a maronite Christian. His father was an adjutant in the Lebanese Army and his mother a housewife. He attended "Ecole Bénilde" elementary and secondary school in Furn el-Chebek, which was a free private school. With the aid of a scholarship from the Khalil Gibran association, he studied medicine for a few years at the American University of Beirut and Saint Joseph University. After the outbreak of civil war in 1975, Geagea interrupted his studies. Although he would later continue his studies at Saint Joseph's University, Geagea never practiced medicine.[3] He was an active member of the right-wing Phalangist Party, which became the main Christian fighting force upon the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975.[4]

War Period

Geagea steadily rose through the ranks and led several operations at the request of Bachir Gemayel, then commander of the Phalangist militia. In 1978, following the murder of a Phalangist party leader in the North Lebanon called Joud el Bayeh in a power struggle with former president Suleiman Frangieh, Bachir Gemayel ordered Geagea and Elie Hobeika to co-lead a unit to capture the suspects who were taking cover in Frangieh's mansion in Ehden.[5][6] The convoy was ambushed on the way and Geagea was hit and admitted to Hotel Dieu hospital in Achrafieh where ironically he was doing his internship, his right hand was partially paralyzed and he never continued his formation while the military operation resulted in the murder of Tony Frangieh and his family. Geagea was later transported to a hospital in France.

Geagea was appointed head of the Lebanese Forces' militia northern Front in the early 1980s, where he commanded around 1,500 battle-hardened soldiers, drawn mainly from his native town of Bsharri and other towns and villages in Northern Lebanon. Geagea led his men in fierce battles against the Syrian Army in El-Koura, Qnat. In 1982-1983, Geagea commanded the Lebanese Forces against Walid Jumblat's Progressive Socialist Party militia, the Palestinians, and the Syrians in a battle for control of the Chouf mountains in central Lebanon.

Lebanese Forces

On March 12, 1985, Geagea and Elie Hobeika orchestrated an internal coup in order to end the leadership of Fouad Abou Nader in the Lebanese Forces. Abou Nader was considered to be too close to his uncle, president Amin Gemayel whose policies were not accepted by most LF leaders. On January 15, 1986, Geagea became head of the Lebanese Forces after overthrowing Hobeika, who was widely accused of treachery in the Lebanese Christian sector for agreeing to a Syrian-sponsored accord (the Tripartite Accord). During the following year, Geagea meticulously rebuilt the LF into an organized, well trained and equipped military force, one of the most advanced forces ever on Lebanese soil. He established social security and public services to fill the void that was created by the war-crippled state administration. He also extracted taxes from the Christian region, offered free open-heart operations and twinned Christians cities with foreign cities in Europe and America and tried to open an airport in the Halat region because the Beirut International Airport (located in the west suburb of Beirut) was under the control of the Syrian forces which made the access for Lebanese Christians almost impossible.

The Post-War period

On October 13, 1990, Syria ousted Aoun from the presidential palace in Baabda. With Aoun out of the picture, Geagea was now the only leader in the Christian heartland. Geagea was subsequently offered ministerial portfolios in the new Lebanese government (formed on Christmas Eve).[7]

Relation with the Kataeb party

In addition to being the LF leader, Geagea retained his seat in the Kataeb Politburo. In 1993, he ran for the Kataeb presidential election but lost to Georges Saadeh with whom the conflict grew. Later that year, Saadeh dismissed Geagea and all members of what was known as the "Rescue Committee" from the party.[8] The committee was formed by several members of the Politburo and districts leaders loyal to the LF and Geagea.

Arrest and trial

There was increased pressure by Syria on Geagea to accept the Syrian presence or face charges. Prior to his arrest, he was contacted by several sympathetic politicians and warned about the forthcoming proceedings and offered safe passage out of Lebanon. Geagea refused to leave[3]. The Syrians exploited the vulnerabilities of the amnesty law promulgated by then president Elias Hrawi for all the crimes and atrocities committed before 1990. This law also stated that any crime committed after that date will void the effect of the amnesty. On February 27, 1994, a bomb exploded in the Church of Sayyidet Al Najet (Our Lady of Deliverance) in the locality of Zouk killing 9 worshipers and injuring many. It is unknown who perpretated the bombing and it was finally attributed to some groups, but he was accused just to bring down the effect of the amnesty law of which he benefited, like all the political and militia leaders from other communities and regions.[5][9] On March 23, 1994, the Lebanese government ordered the dissolution of the LF and Geagea's deputy Fouad Malek was taken into custody.[10] Geagea himself was arrested on April 21, 1994, on charges of ordering the church bombing, of attempting to undermine government authority by "maintaining a militia in the guise of a political party", of instigating acts of violence, and of committing assassinations during the Lebanese Civil War. He was accused of the assassinations of Former Prime Minister Rashid Karami, National Liberal Party leader Dany Chamoun and his family, and former LF member Elias Al Zayek. He was also accused of attempting to kill Minister Michel Murr. He was acquitted in the church case but given four life sentences in the other cases. Amnesty International criticized Samir Geagea's trial and conviction, citing that it was politically motivated and unjust.[3][11][12]

Imprisonment

File:Freegeageagea.jpg
Protesters continuously demanded that Samir Geagea be released during his incarceration despite Lebanese Forces being a banned political group

Geagea was incarcerated for 11 years in a small windowless solitary cell in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense in Yarze.[13] His health status was jeopardized and he lost weight dramatically due to the unsanitary condition of the ill lit and poorly ventilated prison cell.[14] He was deprived of access to media and the outside world and was only allowed to see his wife and close relatives. All of Geagea’s conversations were monitored and he was barred from talking politics with anyone.[15]

For the duration of his incarceration, Geagea maintained that he meditated and reviewed his actions during the war to determine if what he did was right. He had occupied himself in reading literature, Hindu philosophy, Christian theology and mysticism namely the works of Jesuit priest Teilhard de Chardin.[5][15]

Release

Leaders of the Cedar Revolution considered the Geagea trials and sentences to be unjust, politically motivated, and orchestrated by the vassal regime that ruled Lebanon during the Syrian occupation to oust Geagea from the political scene and dismantle the Lebanese Forces.[16] When supporters of the Cedar Revolution won the majority in the 2005 parliamentary elections, they lobbied for an amnesty law to free Geagea from his disputed sentences.[16]

File:Geageabillboard.JPG
A billboard of Samir Geagea in Bcharre, Lebanon.

The Lebanese Parliament passed an amnesty bill on 18 July 2005 to free Samir Geagea. It was subsequently signed by President Émile Lahoud.[2] Geagea was released from prison on July 26, 2005 and left Lebanon for medical care.[17] He returned to Lebanon on October 25 (his birthday), and lived in the Cedars region in northern Lebanon until December 11, 2006, after which he moved to a hotel in Bzoummar in Keserwan. On June 30, 2007, he moved to a new residence in "Me'arab", Keserwan.

Current political activity

On the Lebanese political scene, Geagea and the LF are considered to be the main Christian component of the March 14 Alliance.[18]

In September 2008, Geagea pronounced in front of thousands of rallying supporters in Jounieh a historical apology which stirred much polemic and controversy.[15] The apology read:

"I fully apologize for all the mistakes that we committed when we were carrying out our national duties during past civil war years,... I ask God to forgive, and so I ask the people whom we hurt in the past."[19]

Internationally, Geagea is trying to renew his relations with influential countries such as the United States and France. On March 19, 2007, he met French president Jacques Chirac in the Élysée Palace.[20] In March 2008, he held talks in the USA with officials at the White House, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, NSA Stephen Hadley and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia Gary Ackerman.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ Abdul-Hussain, Hussain (2008-03-17). "Talking To: Samir Geagea". NOW Lebanon. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Amnesty for Lebanese ex-warlord, BBC News, July 18, 2005. Retrieved on 2009-07-07.
  3. ^ a b c Ziad K. Abdel Nour. "Dossier: Samir Geagea Leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF) movement" (.html). Middle East Intelligence Bulletin. Retrieved 2008-07-05. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 22 (help)
  4. ^ Abraham, Antoine (1996). The Lebanon war. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 195. ISBN 0275953890, 9780275953898. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  5. ^ a b c Azzam, Roger (2005). Liban, l'instruction d'un crime: 30 ans de guerre. Editions Cheminements. p. 765. ISBN 2844783686, 9782844783684. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  6. ^ Johnson, Michael (2001). All honorable men : the social origins of war in Lebanon. I.B.Tauris. p. 298. ISBN 1860647154, 9781860647154. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  7. ^ Lebanon's Cabinet Named, Then Boycotted. The New York Times, December 25, 1990. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
  8. ^ Split Threatens Lebanon's Biggest Christian Party. The New York Times, January 16, 1993. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
  9. ^ Blast in Lebanon Church Kills 9 and Injures 60, The New York Times, February 28, 1994. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
  10. ^ Lebanon Detains Christian in Church Blast, The New York Times, March 24, 1994. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
  11. ^ Samir Gea’gea’ and Jirjis al-Khouri: Torture and unfair trial, Amnesty International report, November 23, 2004. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
  12. ^ Amnesty International. "Annual Report on Lebanon (1996)". Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation. Retrieved 2009-06-22.
  13. ^ UN Commission on Human Rights - Torture - Special Rapporteur's Report. United Nations Economic and Social Council, January 12, 1995. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  14. ^ U.S. Department of State (1996-03). Lebanon Human Rights Practices, 1995. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2009-07-11. {{cite conference}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b c Daragahi, Borzou (2008-12-15). "In Lebanon, rivals unconvinced by warlord's apology". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
  16. ^ a b Radio Sawt Beirut International. "Lebanese Political Parties- Lebanese Forces" (SawtBeirut). Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  17. ^ Lebanese ex-warlord is released, BBC News, July 26, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-07-26.
  18. ^ Carter ., Terry (2008). Syria & Lebanon (3 ed.). Lonely Planet. p. 436. ISBN 1741046092, 9781741046090. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Abdallah, Hussein (2008-09-22). "Geagea apologizes for LF's wartime 'mistakes'". The Dialy Star. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
  20. ^ Geagea meets Chirac (in Arabic). As-Safir Newspaper, March 20, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  21. ^ Geagea from Washington: We Focused on Protection of Lebanon. Naharnet Newsdesk, March 12, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
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