Memorial pays tribute to Gebran Tueni

BEIRUT: An-Nahar newspaper held a commemoration ceremony on Saturday to honor the memory of former MP and journalist Gebran Tueni who was assassinated in 2005. The ceremony included presenting the Gebran Tueni Freedom of the Press Award for 2009. The gathering was held at Forum de Beyrouth and was attended by an array of political figures as well as Tueni’s family and colleagues. 

Tueni was killed by a car bomb on December 12, 2005. 

Tueni’s daughter MP Nayla Tueni said: “I do not support a special or non-special relation with Syria but rather a balanced relation based on political, economic and social interests as well as on respecting geographical borders and sovereignty,” she said. 

Tueni added that she had faith in the new government to which she gave her vote of confidence and in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. She also confirmed her stance that no weapon should exist outside the government’s authority. 

The MP also referred to the Cedar Revolution that followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and said the revolution was still alive in the hearts of all Lebanese. She added that she would honor her father’s memory and work toward making Lebanon a model land of civilization. 

The Cedar Revolution refers to a series of massive street protests following Hariri’s assassination, which demanded the end of Syrian tutelage. 

The Gebran Tueni Freedom of the Press Prize 2009 was then presented to its winner, Iraqi Kurdistan journalist Asous Hardi. Hardi, who is the editor in chief of the Awan newspaper talked about his journalistic experience amid the political divide in Iraq in 2000 and the constant threat of the Saddam Hussein regime. “We have not reached the end of the road … Iraq and Kurdistan are still in a transitory phase,” he said. “Although our journey was short, it was important for implementing freedom of the press,” he added. 

Head of the World Association for Newspapers and News Publishers Timothy Bolding, who attended the memorial, said Gebran Tueni’s life and struggle were “a reflection of the struggle for freedom of media and speech.” 

Bolding explained that Hardi was granted the 2009 Gebran Tueni Freedom of the Press Award “because of his objective coverage of news in Iraq.” 

An-Nahar daily newspaper will host in June 2010 the 63rd conference of the World Association for Newspapers and News Publishers. 

Saturday’s memorial also saw performances by the Caracalla Dance troop and the Al-Faihaa Choir on songs inspired by the slain journalists speeches and articles. 

Also on Saturday, the Tueni family also held a commemoration mass on Saturday at the Saint Demtrios Greek Orthodox Church in Achrafieh and it was presided over by Metropolitan Elias Audi of the Archdiocese of Beirut. 

Audi said during his sermon that Tueni was not only a picture or a voice to remember but an example of love, honesty, dignity and sacrifice. “Gebran did not care about dying because his love for Lebanon embodied honesty in every way,” he said.