Justice is the foundation of Governance

The king depends on the army, the army depends on money, money depends on revenue, revenue depends on prosperity, prosperity depends on justice, justice depends on the integrity of officials, and the integrity of officials depends on the righteousness of ministers.

In summary: justice is the foundation of Governance.

This is the slogan of the fourth anniversary of the assassination of the master of reason and words, Lokman Mohsen Slim.

Good evening and welcome,

Welcome to our guests and friends from the international community, from various political parties and local and international organizations.

Welcome to the comrades in struggle and in the homeland.

Welcome to Lokman’s Shia, his household, his enlightened and courageous family, those who never feared a threatening wiggling finger, never remained silent like a silencer’s whisper, and never believed in the lie that weapons, killing, and bloodshed are the path to salvation.

We gather today, four years after Lokman’s assassination at the hands of a group of killers, those who stand outside the realms of love and humanity – who call themselves Hezbollah, and before that, carried other names like the Baath Party and the “Barrel Bomb Parties.”

These are the ones who killed Lokman, Rafik Hariri, George Hawi, Samir Kassir, Mustafa Jha, Joe Bejjani, Munir Abu Rjeili, Joseph Skaff, and many others.

They killed the Syrian, Iraqi, and Yemeni people and stored tons of ammonium nitrate in the Beirut port – tons of explosives that destroyed a city that neither Hafez al-Assad nor Ariel Sharon could destroy, and that killed our people and children on August 4.

And perhaps worse than the killing itself is that they actually believe they can convince us that they had nothing to do with it.

That they can deceive us into believing they are holy and pure as children!

The ones who killed Lokman is not just a criminal and a despicable coward – they are also pathetic, a coward because they thought that six bullets could kill the body and mind of one of the greatest thinkers of the Levant, that they could erase the slogan “Zero Fear” – a slogan now engraved in our minds and on our bodies.

Today, as every year for the past four years, we gather not only to mourn but to celebrate Lokman’s life.

We come together to speak about Lokman and the hundreds of books and articles that he wrote or helped publish.

When people gather to remember their loved ones, they usually serve food or coffee in their memory… But we offer books instead.

The books of Lokman Slim, Said el-Gen, Salma Mershak, Rasha al-Ameer, Iskandar al-Rishai , Hazem Saghieh, and the countless free and brave pens.

There are those who glorify violence and brute force, for whom Iranian scrap weapons and wedding drones are their means to reach paradise…

But time has proven that these people are obsessed with worldly affairs, that they have no time for heaven or for liberating Jerusalem – but they excel at instigating sectarian strife and roaming around on their motorbikes!

We have no weapons… But in every home, there is a shrine for Lokman. In every home, there is a library. And our books are more important and more powerful than their missiles.

Before we move on to the celebratory part, we must remind the world of two things.

First, the question that is asked every day: why was Lokman killed? And the answer remains the same every time: Lokman was killed because he was Lokman.

And because Hezbollah’s business is killing, smuggling, manufacturing Captagon, threatening judges, giving up maritime borders – and in their free time, if they have any, they accuse us of treason.

Justice, despite the threats, will prevail.

And when we speak of justice, we speak of the honorable and dignified people who deserve to sit on the judicial bench, under the phrase “Justice is the foundation of governance” – those who judge in the name of the people, not in the name of the Supreme Leader and the Revolutionary Guard!

A few days ago, the investigative judge handling Lokman’s case decided to “close the file.”

For those who don’t understand what “closing the case” means—it means throwing it in the trash.

And according to this so-called judge, “The case was closed after the plaintiff stopped providing additional evidence to expand the investigation.”

“Your honor”, how is it that the victim is expected to provide evidence against the executioner?

How can you claim that the perpetrator is unknown, when we all know who killed Lokman?

We know that Hezbollah kidnapped Lokman from the Niha farm, that they were following him with at least seven cars, some with masked men!

Who can roam around masked in the south? I’ll tell you who: Hezbollah.

The same people who kidnapped Elias Hasrouni and murdered him in Ain Ibl, and then tried to pass it off as an “accident.”

But in any case, no one should think they can use the law against us.

You may have weapons and assassins, but we know the law and we know the truth – just as well as you know how to manufacture and smuggle Captagon and barrel bombs.

Perhaps our only regret is that Lokman is not here to witness the fall of the Assad regime, to see the Syrian people—whom he always defended—rising up for their cause, the cause of detainees, and the cause of refugees against racists.

When Lokman defended the rights of the Syrian refugees, half the country refused to believe the massacres and chemical attacks that Assad’s gangs and their Iranian allies committed against innocent woman and children.

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours was giving a speech in Syria, and suddenly, a voice rose from the crowd: “May God have mercy on Lokman Slim.”

That voice is a message to all those who said Lokman’s words made no difference. To those who said the killers were right.

We tell them today: Those who wanted to kill us are dead. And those who killed us and murdered the Lebanese people are either buried underground or have fled.

“Justice, even if the heavens fall.”

“Zero Fear.”

“Glory to reason and love.”

These are the slogans we will keep chanting, in our struggle, to create a world that resembles Lokman – a world that resembles all of you.

Thank you, and welcome.

And now, let us welcome the one whom Alex Rola called “The Dean of Arab Liberals” – our friend, and Lokman’s friend, Hazem Saghieh – the master of critical thought and a free pen – who will delight us with his speech, titled: “Lokman’s Lebanon… and the Lebanon of His Killers.”

Please, the floor is yours.