Lebanon yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Samir Kassir, a prominent journalist and intellectual killed by a car bomb.

Two decades on, the perpetrators of his murder, which was part of a wave of killings of people opposed to the grip Syria had over Lebanon, have never been held accountable.

On Sunday an art installation called Dream Manifesto opened on Samir Kassir Square in central Beirut. Named after an article he wrote in 2004, it is part of the Beirut Spring Festival, organised by the Samir Kassir Foundation, and is described as “a tribute to his belief that, despite our reality, we still have the right, and the power, to dream in this region”.

The installation is dedicated to Mr Kassir and his wife Giselle Khoury, a journalist who died after a long battle with cancer in October 2023. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who attended Sunday’s event, paid tribute to Mr Kassir, and said “his word lives on”.

“Today, I recall Samir’s voice, thought, and pen – he who carried the cause of freedom and democracy in the face of tyranny and tutelage, and who wrote with the courage of one who knew that the truth is uncompromising,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Rana Khoury, Giselle’s daughter, highlighted the important of justice and freedom when remembering Mr Kassir and Ms Khoury. Culture Minister Ghassan Salame echoed this sentiment, calling for accountability for killings that have gone unpunished.

The 20th winner of the Samir Kassir Award will be announced today, recognising the work of journalists who “hold the powerful accountable, to expose corruption, and to give a voice to the voiceless”, said Sandra De Waele, ambassador to Lebanon of the EU, which grants the award. She said that, 20 years on from its creation, the award “remains as relevant as ever”.

Mr Kassir was well-known for his columns in the popular newspaper Al Nahar, where he regularly spoke out against the Syrian occupation of Lebanon, its influence on Lebanese affairs and the grip of intelligence services on the country. His assassination has often been blamed on the Iran-backed militia and political party Hezbollah – an ally of the regime of Bashar Al Assad in Syria, which was deposed last December.

He was one of many prominent Lebanese figures assassinated after speaking out against the Syrian presence in Lebanon. With the Assad regime toppled and Hezbollah diminished, there are renewed hopes that justice may be done for Mr Kassir and others like him.

Mr Kassir was one of many figures assassinated after criticising Syria’s presence in Lebanon