The Lokman Slim Foundation works to counter the culture of impunity and silence around political assassinations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Our mission is to document and research political assassinations, both as a phenomena and through specific cases, in order to fight against the prevailing culture of impunity that exists around this type of political violence throughout the region. The foundation also aims to counter the silencing tactic of political assassinations by continually promoting the work of those assassinated to preserve and continue their legacy. The organization bears the name of prominent Lebanese researcher and human rights defender Lokman Slim who was assassinated in Lebanon on 3 February 2021.
Our activities include compiling a database of political assassinations, first in Lebanon and then throughout the region; developing research programs and publications on themes and dynamics of political assassinations; building a network of law experts addressing elements across national, regional and international levels; and initiating cultural events that put political assassinations in the heart of public debates.
Our vision is to see political dynamics around political assassinations in Lebanon and the MENA region to move to be grounded in ethics, the rule of law, and democracy, where freedom of thought, belief, and speech are protected along with the right to life, and where no political crime remains unpunished.
For this to happen, there needs to be genuine justice for past cases of political assassinations to prevent the continual use of this tactic in the region.
There is an extensive history of political assassinations both in Lebanon and the wider MENA region. UMAM Documentation and Research (UMAM D&R), the organization that Lokman Slim had co-founded and co-directed until his assassination, had worked on this legacy of political assassinations. His falling victim to the very dynamics of political assassination and the culture of impunity that he had worked to counter triggered the formation of a separate, independent foundation in his name.
The background of the foundation can be seen across key issues that span various levels, both in Lebanon and the wider region.
In Lebanon, there are specific dynamics around political assassinations that were the impetus for this specific type of political violence. One is the sectarian element of political assassinations in Lebanon, as the data collected points to the probable involvement of Shia groups in political assassinations throughout the country’s history. For example, from 2005 onwards, about 20 political assassinations in Lebanon have been attributed to Hezbollah. The use of political assassinations shows dynamics of control, power, and fear among and by specific communities that reveal a process aimed at reconfiguring the ideological landscape of the country, and therefore that bear further attention and analysis.
Furthermore, at the state level in Lebanon there are serious concerns around the culture of impunity for political assassinations. In Lebanon, hundreds of political assassinations have been part of political life since the creation of the country in 1943. Many of these were perpetrated under the cover and fog of the 15-year-long civil war from 1975 to 1990 that claimed 100,000 victims, and thus most political assassinations entered into oblivion and remain unresolved. The country struggles with an ingrained and persistent culture of impunity toward political assassinations at the core of its national fabric.
Regionally, there is a historical and current trend across the MENA region of the use of targeted assassinations of activists, political thinkers, and community leaders whose works challenge state-led or dominant narratives. This pattern is a profound concern, both due to the loss of these key individuals and the wider impact of such killings spreading terror among and silencing groups demanding political change. Though the Arab uprisings in 2011 opened a path for a paradigmatic change aiming to place human dignity, freedom, and citizenship at the core of alternative political dynamics, more than ten years on the path has not been linear, but has actually regressed into violence in several countries. Bloody processes in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq have won out and new authoritarian systems have taken over. The around 100 political assassinations in Iraq alone since October 2019 is a wave that calls to mind the previous widespread use of such targeted killings in Algeria in the 1990s. Political assassinations in the region have been and have consistently re-emerged as a tool to not only eliminate perceived opponents but also spread fear on a wide scale to secure the monopolization of power.
The Lokman Slim Foundation is not alone in addressing these entrenched and reoccurring community, national, and regional dynamics around political assassinations. We are part of a community that continues to have a deep and desperate desire for justice and closure around political assassinations, and we aim to work in collaboration and support of these individuals and organizations working for democratic and human rights values.