Assaad Chaftari
Assaad Chaftari
أسعد الشفتري | |
---|---|
Born | 1955 |
Nationality | Lebanese |
Occupation | Military Intelligence Official, Author |
Notable work | La vérité même si ma voix tremble (book) |
Political party | Kataeb, Lebanese Forces |
Assaad Chaftari (also spelled Assad Shaftari, Arabic: أسعد الشفتري) served as a senior intelligence official of the Lebanese Christian militia Lebanese Forces during the Lebanese Civil War.[1] Chaftari was a close associate of Elie Hobeika. He published a letter of apology to the Lebanese people in 2000, in a national newspaper, for his war actions, he is now dedicated to promote personal change, peace building and reconciliation.[2][3]
Chaftari was a subject in Eliane Raheb's 2012 documentary, Sleepless Nights.[4][5][6]
Chaftari wrote a book titled "La vérité même si ma voix tremble" in French, translated to Arabic as " الحقيقة و لو بصوت يرتجف", in November 2015.[7]
Biography[]
Born in 1955, Chaftari grew up in a French-speaking home in Beirut’s Christian Gemmayze district.[8]
In 1974, he joined the Kataeb Party while he was in his fourth-year as an engineering student, one year before the civil war started, when he receiving a military training and helped to create the Kataeb's intelligence service.[8]
While in his 20s, he rose in the party the second in command, to become the deputy to Elie Hobeika, whose Israeli-backed group was involved in the notorious 1982 massacre of Sabra and Chatilla, in the Palestinians' refugee camps.[8]
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".[9]
He is currently an activist, member of movements and NGOs, including the coalition Wahdatouna khalasouna.[6]
See also[]
External links[]
References[]
- ^ "Assaad Chaftari - Prestige Magazine". 2016-02-05. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
- ^ Medina, Alicia. (2019, May 28). ““Don’t reach for the gun,” ex-combatants warn Lebanese youths”. Equal Times. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Anderson, Brooke. (2017, May 31). “Once a Christian militant in Lebanon's civil war, now he builds peace where he fought”. America, The Jesuit Review. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ "assaad chaftari sleepless nights - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
- ^ "Sleepless Nights: Confessing Without The Confession". hummus for thought. 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
- ^ a b "Assaad Chaftari". Prestige Magazine. 2016-02-05. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
- ^ Title on publisher's website, in French Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ a b c Lucas, Ryan. "In Lebanon, a war apology remains a rare light". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
- ^ Assaad Emile Chaftari, website of The Forgiveness Project, last accessed on 12 December 2021.
- Lebanese military personnel
- Living people
- 1955 births
- Middle Eastern military personnel stubs
- Lebanese people stubs