Lebanon to reopen case into 2021 murder of Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim

Lebanese judicial authorities are set to reopen the investigation into the 2021 killing of outspoken political activist and writer Lokman Slim, after the country’s Court of Cassation ordered the case transferred to a new judge, local media reported this week.

The decision was made last month by a panel presided over by Judge Randa Kfoury, shortly before her retirement on 27 March. It reverses an earlier move by Beirut Investigating Judge Bilal Halaoui, who in February issued a controversial indictment closing the case without identifying any suspects.

Judge Halaoui cited a lack of data from Lebanon's security services, sparking widespread criticism from rights advocates and Slim's family.

The transfer order followed a formal appeal filed in November 2024 by the family's legal team. The Court of Cassation's ruling tasks the acting president of the Beirut Court of Appeal, Judge Habib Rizkallah, with appointing a new magistrate to take over the stalled case.

Slim, a prominent publisher and vocal critic of Hezbollah, was shot dead in southern Lebanon in February 2021.

His killing sent shockwaves through the country, particularly because he had publicly warned of threats to his life in the months leading up to the attack, threats he linked to the powerful Shiite party. Hezbollah denies involvement.

At a memorial marking four years since his death, Slim's family condemned the suspension of the investigation, calling it a failure of justice. United Nations special rapporteurs also criticised the Lebanese authorities in 2023 for the slow pace of the probe and lack of accountability.

The reopening of the case comes amid wider concerns about impunity and the politicisation of Lebanon's judiciary, where investigations into political violence, including the 2020 Beirut port explosion, have faced repeated obstruction.