This was in reference to the Lebanese flags that were waived during the Cedar Revolution protest in Martyr's square, in response to the assassination of Lebanon's former PM Rafik Hariri
Ramzi , who was born in 1966 was abducted and later found dead on May 20, 2002, following a series of events marking the eighth anniversary of the imprisonment of Lebanese Forces leader Dr Samir Geagea.
The statement added "the crime of kidnapping and assassinating Ramzi will remain a black mark for Lebanese - Syrian security during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon , when the Lebanese security was acting under the Syrian orders"
The statement added " our martyrs paid a heavy price of the Syrian occupation with their own blood"
The statement concluded by saying, "The Lebanese Forces renews its pledge to continue with its march for the Freedom, sovereignty and wants to assure the Lebanese community and specially the Christians that it will continue to seek justice and to reject the logic of surrender and injustice and will not rest until the truth on the murders is known and the law and order is established throughout "
About Ramzi Irani
Irani was a well known outspoken critic of the Syrian occupation of 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 occupation 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.
On May 7th, 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.
Irani's rotting corpse was found on May 21st in the back of his car.[1] 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.[2] 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 was one of many brutal assassinations which have occurred against opponents of the Syrian regimes illegal presence in Lebanon during the occupation . Many people in Lebanon point the finger at Syria and their agents inside Lebanon for all the assassinations that took place in Lebanon during and after the occupation
Photo: File picture of Razi Irani and his 5-year old daughter, Yasmina
Tags: Geagea, Lebanese Forces, Lebanon, Occupation, Ramzi Irani, source: Lebanon Files, Syria, Ya Libnan
