Lebanese Ministry of Information
The Graphic Designers Syndicate in Lebanon honored 11 of its members in its 5th honorary celebration held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of its founding, which turned into a festival of solidarity with the Lebanese press, held at the Lancaster Hotel – Raouche under the patronage of Caretaker Information Minister, Ziad Al-Makary.
Also present at the event were MPs Hassan Murad, Nadim Gemayel, Alain Aoun, Mark Daou, Imad Al-Hout, Edgar Traboulsi, and Hani Kobeissi, as well as former Minister Ziad Baroud, Inspector General of Islamic Endowments Sheikh Osama Haddad representing Republic Grand Mufti Abdel-Latif Derian, Editors Syndicate Dean Joseph Al-Qosseifi, and a crowd of media, academic and social figures.
In his delivered word on the occasion, Minister Makary praised the important role and sacrifices made by media representatives in pursuing their profession of news coverage and reporting. He said: “I was outside Lebanon during the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ operation, so I cut off my trip and returned to Lebanon, and decided to go as quickly as possible to the south and meet with journalists and correspondents…Indeed, I headed on Friday morning to the town of Maroun Al-Ras, where I met with about 50 journalists whom I urged to pay attention to their safety since the enemy does not distinguish between a child, an old man, or a journalist, and even their prisoners have no account in their war…After that, martyr Issam Abdullah asked me to speak to Reuters, and four hours later he was martyred…”
He continued, “What I say today is that I am committed to the Lebanese media and to the family of martyr Issam Abdullah, to pursue demanding the truth of Issam’s martyrdom, no matter how much effort it entails, using the utmost powers that the constitution gave me as Minister of Information.”
Addressing the attendees, Makary considered that “in the presence of art and creativity, we raise a loud cry that the will to live will triumph over death, and the barbarism of the occupier will be broken by the heroism of the resistance.”
He added, “Graphics is one of the fine and refined arts. Through art, we carry the justice of our cause and raise it to the nations, so that we can win with words, images, and slogans.”
“We meet today at this honorary ceremony for the Graphics Syndicate in Lebanon, where the Syndicate graciously took the initiative to dedicate it to commemorate our heroic martyr, journalist Issam Abdullah, who was martyred by the brutal Israeli bombing on the land of the south while performing his journalistic mission in southern Lebanon, and a number of colleagues were also wounded in a ‘described assassination’ operation,” Makary went on.
He also denounced the Israeli aggression against Gaza which has caused massive destruction and claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians. “We condemn in the strongest terms these crimes, and we call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities by stopping this unjustified aggression,” he affirmed.
“On the other hand, we should praise the efforts of journalists, soldiers of truth, who possess the most powerful and effective weapons of the pen and image in the battle of attacks on humanity,” Makary emphasized.
He addressed the journalists, saying: “Your safety and freedom are protected and most precious…The Ministry of Information is by your side to uncover repeated crimes, and let the voice of freedom remain loud for the sake of the truth.”
NNA
