1. Various of mourners at the funeral ceremony for slain Lebanese publisher and Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim
2. Mid of Slim's grave
3. Mid of Slim's family
4. Various of mourners at prayers
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dorothy Shea, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon:
"Today I'm honoured to be with you, his family and his loved ones, to convey in person my deepest sympathy. You were robbed, we all were robbed of a great man. This is a barbaric act, unforgivable and unacceptable."
6. Various of mourners
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dorothy Shea, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon:
"He was tireless and relentless in his pursuit to reconcile Lebanon's people and to promote freedom and inclusion. These efforts cannot and will not be suppressed through fear or violence."
8. Photo of Slim
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Dorothy Shea, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon:
"Like him, let us not be deterred. We will push for what is just, we will join you in demanding accountability for this horrific crime, and we will do our best to carry on his legacy including by continuing our partnership with the organizations he helped found, and we are proud of these partnerships."
10. Various of mourners holding photo of Slim in compound of family home
Scores of friends and family members of the slain Lebanese publisher and harsh Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim bid him farewell Thursday in a ceremony attended by western diplomats and organized in his home in the southern suburb of Beirut amid tight security.
Slim, a 58-year-old political activist and commentator, was found dead with six bullets in his body last week on a deserted rural road in the country's south.
He was visiting friends there and was due back in Beirut but his family reported him missing.
Slim's family house in the Beirut southern suburb, a stronghold of Hezbollah, was brimming with visitors, journalists and security.
A multi-denominational ceremony was organized with Muslim and Christian prayers being recited.
Dorothy Shea, the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, was present at the ceremony, and paid tribute to Slim saying, "We all were robbed of a great man. This is a barbaric act, unforgivable and unacceptable."
Slim's family has expressed skepticism that a national investigation would lead to those who killed him, citing a history of unresolved assassinations and political crimes in Lebanon.
They hired a private forensic pathologist to carry out their own examination of Slim's body.
Many of his friends have suspected Hezbollah supporters had a role in his killing, citing previous threats to the vocal critic of the powerful group.
Hezbollah condemned the killing, calling for an investigation and dismissing what it called exploitation of crimes in Lebanon by the media and political opponents.
The ceremony was organized despite a nationwide lockdown because of coronavirus restrictions.
