Samir Geagea,
born October 25, 1952, leader of the right wing Lebanese
Forces (LF) political party.
In 1994, Geagea was accused
of ordering the bombing of Saydet Al-Najet church and the
assassination of some Lebanese politicians during the war. He
was acquitted in the church's case but given four life
sentences in other cases. Geagea was pardoned and released
from prison in the summer of 2005 after the withdrawal of the
Syrian army from Lebanon.
War
period
Geagea was born in Ain el-Remmaneh in Beirut in
1952 to parents from the Maronite town of Bsharri in the mountains of Northern
Lebanon. While studying medicine at the American University of Beirut, he became
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. He
steadily rose through the ranks and led several daring operations at the request
of Bashir Gemayel, then commander of the Phalangist militia (a right-wing
movement advocating Maronite political supremacy in Lebanon). In 1978, under the
order of LF Commander in Chief Bachir Gemayel, he led a Lebanese Forces commando
to the region of Ehden where after many hours of combat, Tony Frangieh, the son
of former President Suleyman Frangieh was killed. Many question how the events
really went on, many state that Elie Hobeika continued the operation due to
Geagea's injury. Geagea was wounded during this operation, and his hand was
partially paralyzed as a result.
Geagea was appointed head of the Lebanese Forces' 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. This loyal following would later ensure his ascension. Geagea led his
men in fierce battles against the Syrian Army during the siege of Zahle in
1980-1981. In 1983, he led the defense of the Shouf Region in central Lebanon
that ended with defeat against an onslaught by various militias especially by
those led by the later ally Walid Jumblat that were supported by the Syrian
Army.
Lebanese Forces
In 1984, Geagea and Elie Hobeika orchestrated an internal coup in order to end
the leadership of Fuad Abu Nader in the Lebanese Forces. Abu Nader was
considered to be too close to his uncle, president Amine Gemayel whose policies
were not accepted by most LF leaders. In 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 agreement). Geagea transformed the LF into an organized force and was
equipped by Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
In 1989, Geagea approved of the Taif Agreement which aimed to put an end to the
Lebanese war. He controlled most State-owned entities such as the Beirut port
where he raised money for his militia from import-export activities. He also
extracted taxes from the Christian region, offered free open-heart operations,
twinned Christians cities with foreign cities, substituting the role of the
state. He also 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 pro-Syrian groups what made the access for Lebanese Christians almost
impossible.
Geagea publicly aligned himself with Prime Minister General Michel Aoun after a
failed attempt on Aoun's family residence in Rabieh in February 1989. When
General Aoun launched the Liberation War against Syria on March 14, 1989, Geagea
supported the Prime Minister's effort to free Lebanon from foreign forces.
However, he later began to diverge away from that path. When Aoun asked Geagea
to take a clear and honest position vis-a-vis the Taif Agreement and the Syrian
occupation of Lebanon, he resisted violently. Just a few days after his visit to
Aoun and his famous kiss on the cheek, Geagea and his Lebanese forces, (and
under the pretext of opening a school that had not been functionnal for 15
years) Aoun and his "army" launches a surprise attack on the Lebanese Forces.
The aggressions progressed to include massacres against unarmed civilians
demonstrating to put an end to the acts of war on many front line sections,
especially in Nahr El Mott. Cornered in his very diminished enclave Aoun allied
himself with Hizbollah and the Pro Syrian militia leadr Elie Hobeika who were
supplying him with weapons. The devastating military conflict between the
Lebanese Army and the Lebanese Forces that started on January 31 came to an end
on October 13, 1990 when the Syrian forces invaded the last sovereign region of
Lebanon that was under the control of the Lebanese army.
The post-war period
Aoun was exiled to france on 13 October 1990 after leaving the Baabda
presidential palace because it was under attack by the syrian air planes. This
date is considered to mark the end of the civil war. Geagea was subsequently
offered ministerial portfolios in the new Lebanese government several times, he
refused them under the basis that the government was under Syrian control. There
was increased pressure by Syria on Geagea to accept the Syrian presence or face
persecution. Geagea refused to accept the Syrian demands and refused to leave
Lebanon. In 1994, a bomb exploded in the Church of Sayyidet Al Najet and killed
several worshippers. Geagea was suspected and arrested on charges 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, Dany Chamoun and his
family, and Elias Al Zayeck. He was also accused of attempting to kill Minister
Michel Murr. However, despite the long list, Geagea was not officially found
guilty on any one of the charges.
During his incarceration, support for Geagea among Lebanese Christians remained
high, and by some accounts has even increased. Despite widespread calls for his
release by notable politicians and clerics, all Lebanese pro-Syrian governments
refused to grant Geagea a pardon during the 1994-2005 period. For the majority
of the Lebanese people, and the-anti Syrians, Geagea was an innocent hero paying
the price for championing freedom. After the Syrian withdrawl in April 2005, the
majority of the newly elected government signed for his release. The only
opposition came from Hezbollah, who refused to participate in the parliamentary
session. Geagea is said to have rejected an offer of a presidential pardon that
would have restricted his ability to participate in political activity. Geagea
was quoted as saying "I would prefer to remain in prison for another 20 years
than bargain my beliefs for freedom."
The Lebanese Parliament passed law on 18 July 2005 to free Samir Geagea. The
Lebanese Forces brokered an alliance with the anti-Syrians groups in Lebanon,
including Saad Hariri, son of the slain former prime minister Rafik Hariri, and
Walid Joumblatt.
Geagea was released from prison on 26 July 2005 and left Lebanon for medical
tests. Upon his release he was quoted as saying "I have spent 11 horrific years
in solitary confinement in a 6-square-meter dungeon three floors underground
without sunlight or fresh air. But I endured my hardships because I was merely
living my convictions,". He returned to Lebanon on October 25 (the day of his
birth), and lived in the Cedars region in northern Lebanon until 11 December
2006 after which he moved to Bzoummar in Keserwan.
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Samir Geagea during his first speech in freedom on 26 July 2005.
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