Ramzi and his two children shortly before his murder and abduction

Ramzi Irani (Arabic: رمزي عيراني, June 21, 1966 - May 20, 2002) born in Lebanon was a well known Lebanese Forces (LF) student representative at Lebanese University in Beirut. He was abducted and later found dead in 2002, following a series of events marking the eighth anniversary of the imprisonment of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

[edit] Early life

Irani was born in Hazmieh in 1966 to a Maronite family. He attended Sisters of Ibrin School, Collège de la Salle in Clémenceau and Collège Mont-la-Salle in Ain Saadeh. He studied engineering at the Lebanese University Faculty of Engineering in Roumieh where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering in 1992. He worked in Total Liban in Beirut from 1993 until his death. In 1996, he married Jocelyne El Khoury and had two children, Yasmina and Jad.

[edit] Political background

Ramzi Irani sitting with Cardinal Sfeir

Irani was a well known outspoken critic of the Syrian-occupied government in Lebanon. He led the Lebanese Forces in Lebanon's Order of Engineers elections to win a seat on the order's board for the first time, defeating Pro-Syrian and Hezbollah candidates. In 2000, Lebanese authorities briefly arrested Irani and he was released a short while later with broken ribs. After being released, Irani organized peaceful protests against the Syrian-occupied government of Lebanon and faced continuous harassment from Lebanese authorities.
On April 21, 2002, he gave his last speech in public, during the celebration of the eighth anniversary of the imprisonment of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea at the Lebanese University Faculty of Law, in Jal el Dib.

[edit] Abduction and murder

On May 7, 2002, Irani was walking down the popular Hamra Street on his way to celebrate the birthday of his 5-year old daughter, Yasmina when he was kidnapped without a trace. His lack of resistance suggested that he knew who his kidnappers were. On May 9, Amnesty International issued a statement to express the fear that Irani could be detained incommunicado and subjected to torture. ^[1]

Starting May 8, Ramzi's friends began to receive brief anonymous phone calls during which callers would say that Ramzi's car was seen in Beirut.^[2] After alerting the Police and visiting the places mentioned by the callers, it appeared that the claims were false.

Irani's rotting corpse was found on May 21 in the back of his car.^[3][4] The official cause of death was a bullet piercing to the heart. His body was discovered seven hours after the assassination of Jihad Jibril, son of PFLP-GC leader Ahmed Jibril in Beirut.^[5] The two assassinations being clearly unlinked, some think that the kidnappers dumped Irani's corpse in the aftermath of Jibril's assassination for diversion purposes.^{[citation needed]} An Internet news service, Al Qanat, revealed they had received a report saying that Irani had been murdered because they feared he would speak out about his abductors and that it would have created a, "big political crisis."

Ramzi Irani's murder is still a cold case like many other brutal assassinations which have occurred against opponents of the Syrian regimes illegal presence in Lebanon during the recent years. Many people in Lebanon point the finger at Syria and their agents inside Lebanon.

[edit] Legacy

Irani's involvement in the Engineers Section of the Lebanese Forces led to the establishement of the Ramzi Irani Memorial Award, awarded to the three students of the Faculty of Engineering in Roumieh who have received the highest grades in mechanical engineering, civil engineering and electronic and computer engineering departments.
Since 2003, the LF students of the Faculty of Engineering in Roumieh have been holding a commemorative mass for Irani in May. In that month also, the LF party celebrates the annual requiem mass in the Maronite Cathedral of St Georges in the center of Beirut.

[edit] See also

• Lebanese Forces
• Syrian occupation of Lebanon

[edit] External links

• Ramzi Irani Biography + Video - Arabic -
• The Kidnapping and Assassination of Ramzi Irani
• In Memory of Ramzi Irani
• Ramzi Irani photo album

[edit] Videos

• A documentary film about Ramzi Irani This film was produced by the Engineers Section of the Lebanese Forces.

[edit] References