Dany Chamoun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dany Chamoun
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داني شمعون
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Dany Chamoun in 1988
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| President of the National Liberal Party | |
| In office 1985–1990 |
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| Preceded by | Camille Chamoun |
| Succeeded by | Dory Chamoun |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 August 1934 Deir el Qamar, Lebanon |
| Died | 21 October 1990 (aged 56) Beirut, Lebanon |
| Cause of death | Assassination by firearm |
| Political party | National Liberal Party |
| Children | 4 (2 surviving, including Tracy Chamoun) |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Dory Chamoun (brother) |
Dany Chamoun (Arabic: داني شمعون; born 26 August 1934 – died 21 October 1990) was an important Lebanese politician. He was a Maronite Christian. Dany was the younger son of former President Camille Chamoun. His brother was Dory Chamoun. Dany Chamoun was a politician in his own right. He was killed on 21 October 1990, at age 56, along with some of his family.
Biography
Early life and education
Dany Chamoun was born in Deir el-Qamar on 26 August 1934. His father, Camille Chamoun, had been a president of Lebanon. Dany studied civil engineering in the United Kingdom. He attended Loughborough University.
Political career
Dany Chamoun said he was not interested in politics. This changed when the Lebanese Civil War began. In January 1976, he became the Secretary of Defense for the National Liberal Party. He took over after Naim Berdkan passed away.
As the top commander of the party's military group, the Tigers, he played a big part. This was during the early years of the Lebanese Civil War. By 1980, another Christian militia, the Lebanese Forces, was led by Bachir Gemayel. The Tigers were defeated in a surprise attack by Gemayel’s group on 7 July 1980.
Dany Chamoun survived this attack. He then went to West Beirut, which was mostly Sunni Muslim. After that, he left the country for a while.
He served as the General Secretary of the National Liberal Party from 1983 to 1985. Then, he became the party leader, taking over from his father. In 1988, he became the President of the Lebanese Front. This was a group of nationalist and mostly Christian parties. His father had helped start this group.
That same year, he wanted to become the President of Lebanon. He hoped to take over from Amine Gemayel. However, Syria, which controlled much of Lebanon, did not approve of him.
President Gemayel's term ended on 23 September 1988. No new president was chosen. Chamoun strongly supported Michel Aoun. Aoun was appointed by the outgoing president to lead a temporary government. He then led one of two rival governments for the next two years.
Chamoun strongly disagreed with the Taif Agreement. This agreement gave more power to the Muslim community. More importantly, in Chamoun's view, it made Syria's influence over Lebanon official. He refused to accept the new government. This government was led by President Elias Hrawi, who was elected under the Taif Agreement.
War period
On 18 January 1976, Dany Chamoun was one of the militia commanders involved in the Karantina Massacre. After this event, Chamoun gave an interview. He stated it was not a massacre. Instead, he called it a "concise military operation." He said its goal was to take back private property.
On 28 June 1976, Dany Chamoun led the attack on Tal el-Zaatar. This was a Palestinian refugee camp. The attack led to many deaths and forced people to leave their homes. Dany Chamoun and Bachir Gemayel claimed they did not destroy the whole camp. They said they were concerned for the lives of civilians.
Death
On 21 October 1990, Dany Chamoun was killed. His second wife, Ingrid Abdelnour (age 45), and his two young sons, Tarek (age 7) and Julian (age 5), were also killed. They were all shot in their apartment.
Chamoun had two daughters who survived. Tracy was from his first marriage. She was overseas at the time. Tamara was eleven months old and survived the attack.
Aftermath
After his death, there was an investigation. In 1995, a Lebanese court accused Christian rival Samir Geagea of being responsible for the deaths of Dany Chamoun and his family. He was given a life sentence. Other people were also sentenced. However, the case was based on indirect evidence. Some groups, like Amnesty International, said the trial had serious problems.
Many people in Lebanon did not agree with the verdict. Dany's brother, Dory Chamoun, said that the Syrian army, which was in Lebanon at the time, was responsible. Later, Samir Geagea was released. This happened as part of a national agreement after Syria left Lebanon.
See also
- List of assassinated Lebanese politicians
- List of attacks in Lebanon
- Tracy Chamoun
