Lokman Slim

Lokman Mohsen Slim (Arabic: لقمان محسن سليم; 17 July 1962 – 4 February 2021) was a Lebanese Shiite publisher, political activist, and commentator.

[1][2][3] As a contributor to the development of civil-society initiatives, several of which he founded, he promoted a Culture of Remembrance to cope with the many past and present conflicts of Lebanon and the whole region.

Its publications range from books banned by the Lebanese General Security to the first Arabic translations of the writings of Muhammad Khatami, the former Iranian reformist president, which generated controversy within the Shia community in Lebanon.

[18] Umam also organizes film screenings, art exhibitions, and discussions relating to civil violence and war memory.

[22] In conjunction with leadership and civic participation trainings conducted by NDI, Hayya Bina spearheaded a number of public advocacy projects in Shiite areas of Lebanon.

In Baalbek, Hayya Bina's field staff organized a pesticide project in order to help boost the economy of local farmers; in Shmustar, staff coordinated with residents to publicly advocate for garbage collection services to prevent communicable diseases from spreading; in Hermel, a region-wide project to clean up the Assi River.

[23] The program's pedagogy combines formal grammar with substantive nodes, such as human rights, civics, workplace, and around-the-home vocabulary.

[24] Slim stated in 2019 that Hezbollah's leader was responsible for alleged incidents where people came to his home and offices to chant slurs and threats.

[7] On the night of 3 February 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Lokman was returning alone in his rented car to Beirut, after visiting a friend in the village of Niha, Tyre District, and was not traceable in the next hours.

[8] After the death was confirmed, Jawad Nasrallah, the son of Hezbollah's leader, tweeted: "The loss of some people is in fact an unplanned gain #notsorry".

[31] The investigations of the murder as well as the Beirut Port explosion lead to Unit 121 assassination squad that was headed at the time by Salim Ayyash.

[32] In February 2024, Human Rights Watch renewed its appeal for prosecutorial and investigative authorities in Lebanon to ensure justice for Slim.

The UMAM-Hangar during the 2018 exhibition "In Praise of Lebanese Fusion"
Slim's office at UMAM with his jackets still on the wardrobe as he left them before his assassination. To the right is a bullet-riddled lamppost that used to stand at the green line during Lebanon's Civil War.
The grave of Slim at UMAM