Assaad Chaftari (also spelled Assad Shaftari,

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: أسعد شفتري) served as a senior intelligence officier of the Lebanese

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

militia

Lebanese Forces The Lebanese Forces ( ar, القوات اللبنانية '')'' is a Lebanese Christian-based political party and former militia during the Lebanese Civil War. It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament and is therefore th ...

during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ar, الحرب الأهلية اللبنانية, translit=Al-Ḥarb al-Ahliyyah al-Libnāniyyah) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 120,000 fatalities a ...

. Chaftari was a close associate of

Elie Hobeika Elie Hobeika ( ar, إيلي حبيقة; 22 September 1956 – 24 January 2002) was a Lebanese militia commander in the Lebanese Forces militia during the Lebanese Civil War and one of Bashir Gemayel's close confidants. After the murder of Gem ...

. He published a letter of apology to the Lebanese people in February 2000, in the national newspapers, for his war actions, he is now dedicated to promote personal change, peace building and reconciliation. Chaftari was a subject in Eliane Raheb's 2012 documentary, ''Sleepless Nights''. Chaftari wrote a book titled "La vérité même si ma voix tremble" in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, translated to

as " الحقيقة و لو بصوت يرتجف", in November 2015.

Biography

Born in 1955, Chaftari grew up in a

-speaking home in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

’s

Gemmayze district. In 1974, he joined the Kataeb Party while he was in his fourth-year as an

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

student, one year before the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

started, when he receiving a military training and helped to create the Kataeb's intelligence service. While in his 20s, he rose in the party to become the deputy to

. In 1985 He was one of the negotiators of negotiations which led to was called the Tripartite Agreement between the Christian Lebanese Forces, The PSP party of Jumblat and Amal of Berri under Syrians auspices. In 1988 he participated in a meeting held by the Initiatives of Change movement. Although he had initially been suspecting a hidden agenda, the meeting initiated a deep change in him. Asked to look back over his life, he saw "a path full of blood".Assaad Emile Chaftari
website of The Forgiveness Project, last accessed on 12 December 2021. He is currently an activist, member of movements and NGOs, including the coalition Wahdatouna khalasouna. and The Global Peace-builders Network. In 2012 during the clashes between the Sunni and Alawi communities in Tripoli,northern Lebanon he was one of 5 ex-fighters who organised a press conference addressing the new fighters and their politicians.They founded 2 years later an NGO called "Fighters for Peace". In 2019 he represented Fighters for peace in the founding of a Lebanese gathering called "Forum for Memory and Future".

External links

Washington Post article

References

Lebanese military personnel Living people 1955 births {{lebanon-bio-stub People of the Lebanese Civil War Lebanese Christians Lebanese Forces members

Biography

See also

External links

References