Tracy Chamoun

Tracy Chamoun (born 1962) is a Lebanese author and political activist of Lebanese and European descent. She is one of two surviving children of Dany Chamoun, the assassinated former leader of the National Liberal Party and son of former President Camille Chamoun; her mother is the late Patti Morgan Chamoun, an Australian fashion model and actress.^[1]

Life and career

Dany Chamoun Foundation

Through the Dany Chamoun Foundation, Tracy Chamoun has sought to perpetuate the legacy of her father, who, on October 21, 1990, was assassinated together with his second wife and two young sons by Samir Geagea^[2] after the Syrian Forces occupied the Eastern (Christian) area of Beirut. Her autobiography, Au Nom du Pere, centered on her relationship with her father and his life and work. In it, she recounts the harrowing experience in which she and her mother were kidnapped in 1980 during a surprise attack on the National Liberal Party headquarters by Phalangist militiamen under the command of Bachir Gemayel, her father's former ally.

Syrian occupation

Chamoun was an outspoken critic of the former Syrian occupation of Lebanon. She has described her country's independence as a "myth". Before the Independence Day celebrations in 1990 she asked rhetorically:

To what extent does the establishment believe that the population is so blind that it cannot see that the nation is far from independent? Like the myth of the emperor with no clothes, it is a charade that only the sycophants see and celebrate.

Political views

Chamoun is known for her moderate political views. She favors the building of a modern democracy, and has spoken out against what she sees as the feudal political system in which clan loyalties often play a more significant role than ideology in politics. She is critical of her uncle, Dory Chamoun, head of the National Liberal Party, for his alliance with Samir Geagea, the man convicted of killing her family.^[2] Publicly, however, she has defended her uncle, and has refused to enter into discussions with those critical of him.

Legacy

Chamoun has vowed to continue to remind people of the truth behind the assassination of her slain father which she writes about in her books Le Sang De la Paix published by Lattes in France and ثمن السلم published by Antoine in Lebanon.

See also

• Dany Chamoun
• Samir Geagea

References

• "Declaration on the anniversary of Dany Chamoun’s assassination", October 2008, Tayyar.org
• "Warlord gets life, but plans his vacation" Robert Fisk, The Independent, June 25, 1995