Nasib Al Matni

Nasib Al Matni (1910–1958) was a Lebanese journalist who was assassinated on 8 May 1958. He established several publications and edited various newspapers. His assassination triggered the events which led to a political crisis in Lebanon. The murder of Al Matni is one of the unsolved cases in Lebanon.[1]

Nasib Al Matni
Born1910
Died1958 (aged 47–48)
Beirut
Cause of deathAssassination
NationalityLebanese
OccupationJournalist
Known forFounder of various publications
Assassination in May 1958 which led to political crisis in Lebanon

Biography

Al Matni was born in 1910.[2] He descended from a Maronite family.[3] During the presidency of Bechara El Khoury he was one of the leading dissidents in Lebanon.[1] In 1952 Al Matni was arrested and tried which was protested through a three-day strike.[1] He was also a critic of the President Camille Chamoun and held pro-Nasserist views.[3]

Assassination

He was assassinated in his office in West Beirut on 8 May 1958.[3][4] During the incident he was the owner and editor-in-chief of The Telegraph[1] which was supported by the Sunni opposition in Lebanon.[3] The paper was a leftist and pan-Arabist daily publication[5] which criticised the policies of President Chamoun.[2]

The officials claimed that his killing was not due to a political reason, but the opposition figures argued that he was killed due to his anti-Chamoun stance.[3] Because following his assassination numerous threatening letters were found which asked him to stop his criticisms against President Chamoun.[2]

Aftermath

Following his assassination large-scale protests began in Beirut and Tripoli which lasted for three days.[3] Several media outlets blamed President Chamoun and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party for the murder of Al Matni.[2] Al Amal, official organ of the Kataeb Party, reported that Al Matni was the father of jihad and that the state should arrest the murderers.[2] Al Anbaa, media outlet of the Progressive Socialist Party, and An Nahar also demanded the arrest of the perpetrators.[2]

References
  1. Tammam Hanaydi. "[Translated] The Press and Despotism on the Anniversary of Samir Kassir's Aassasination". Terjama. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  2. Dylan Baun (2020). Winning Lebanon: Youth Politics, Populism, and the Production of Sectarian Violence, 1920–1958. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-108-49152-5.
  3. K. S. (September 1958). "The Lebanese Crisis in Perspective". The World Today. 14 (9): 369. JSTOR 40393919.
  4. Are Knudsen (2010). "Acquiescence to Assassinations in Post-Civil War Lebanon?". Mediterranean Politics. 15 (1): 3. doi:10.1080/13629391003644611.
  5. Karol R. Sorby (2000). "Lebanon: The Crisis of 1958". Asian and African Studies. 9 (1): 95.
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