- Boutros Khawand
Boutros Khawand ( _ar. بطرس خوند, born 1940 in Kattin) was a member of the political bureau of the Lebanese
Kataeb party and one of the cofounders of its military council in 1975. He was kidnapped in front of his house in Horch Tabet onSeptember 15 ,1992 . [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6DB1631F935A2575AC0A964958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fK%2fKidnapping Official of Christian Party Is Kidnapped in East Beirut] ,New York Times (Archives),September 16 ,1992 . Retrieved on 2007-08-25.]Background
Khawand began his political carrier in the Kataeb party in 1956. He held several positions within the party. In 1976, he became one of the major assistants of
Bachir Gemayel , head of the Kataeb Military Council (which later became the core of theLebanese Forces ). In 1985, he was elected to the presidency of the Military Council and at the same time, to the political bureau of the Kataeb party. He held the latter position until his kidnapping in 1992. He was known to have a good relationship with Lebanese Forces leader Dr. Samir Geagea.Kidnapping
On September 15, 1992, at 9:15 AM, Khawand was heading to Kataeb headquarters in
Beirut when his car, a red Opel, was intercepted by two BMW cars and one red van, 100m away from his home. Between eight and ten gunmen were in the attacking squad. They pulled him out of his car and forced him into the van. [ [http://www.fidh.org/magmoyen/rapport/2001pdf/lb301f.pdf Lebanon, The long wait of the families of detainees and abducted people] , International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), International Investigation Mission, January 2001. Retrieved on 2008-02-08.]Captivity
It is widely believed that he is still alive in one of the
Syria n jails, most probably in Mazzeh prison or in the "Sab' Bahrat" (Seven Seas) prison (controlled by theSyrian Air Force intelligence service ) inDamascus although some reports stated that he was later transferred to Tadmur prison. [ [http://www.ahewar.org/debat/show.art.asp?aid=36856 Syrian National Council: Four New Official Documents Prove the Presence of Lebanese Political Prisoners in Syria (in Arabic)] . "Modern Discussion", Issue 1190,May 7 ,2005 . Retrieved on 2008-02-21.]ee also
*
Lebanese Forces
*Kataeb Party
*List of Lebanese in Syrian Jails References
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