Funeral of Kataeb party general-secretary held in Beirut as MPs resign

The funeral of Nazar Najarian, the general-secretary of the Kataeb party who was killed in the blast at the port of Beirut, was held in Beirut

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

08 August, 2020

Nazar Najarian was buried in Beirut [AFP]

The funeral of the general secretary of the right-wing Christian Kataeb party, Nazar Najarian, took place on Saturday, following the politician's death in the blast that devastated the Lebanese capital Beirut earlier this week.

Najarian died of serious wounds sustained from the powerful explosion at the port of Beirut.

Tuesday's explosion killed at least 154 people, while more than 5,000 were wounded and the country’s largest port and nearby areas destroyed.

The devastating blast was triggered by 2,570 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the port which was apparently set off by a fire.

On Saturday, all three of th Kataeb party’s MPs resigned from the Lebanese parliament.

"Your comrades took the decision to resign from parliament," Kataeb MP Sami Gemayel said, addressing himself to Najarian.

Turning to the Lebanese government and established political leaders, Gemayel said, "A new Lebanon must be born on the ruins of the old one, which you represent."

Born in 1959, Najarian, nicknamed "Nazo", was a member of Lebanon’s Armenian community. He became involved with the Kataeb Party during the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War.

He later emigrated to Canada, founding an import-export company and dividing his time between Beirut and Montreal.