October 12, 2021
On October 7, 2021, members of AMCD met with Guila Fakhoury, daughter of Amer Fakhoury, an American citizen who was lured back to Lebanon, detained and tortured in September of 2019 on the orders of Hezbollah. He was denied medical care, beaten and forced to sign a “confession” which was then used to detain him for a further 7 months. He was accused of having an Israeli passport. He had been part of the South Lebanese Army (SLA), which was established by the Lebanese government in the late 1970s and salaries were paid till early 1990’s to protect Southern Lebanon from the Palestinian militias attacking civilians. The SLA cooperated with Israel during that time.
After to tremendous pressure from the US, Amer was finally released in March of 2020. On his return, he was found to have the Epstein-Barr virus and stage four lymphoma. The family suspects that he was injected with a chemical that induced the cancer. He died shortly after his release on August 17, 2020.
Amer’s family responded by starting the Amer Fakhoury Foundation to bring attention to the plight of political prisoners being held in the Middle East and worldwide. They have also filed a lawsuit against Iran which controls Hezbollah. The prosecutor in Lebanon told the family that if Hezbollah wants someone detained, there is nothing the judicial system can do about it. Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, is in full control of Lebanon. The family also believes Amer was targeted for being a Christian American.
Members expressed concern about Iranian agents in the US infiltrating many levels of government, law enforcement, academia and private sector companies, not only to engage in espionage, but to promote Iranian propaganda and attempt to silence those opposing the mullahs.
Other members expressed concern about targeted assassinations which are made to look like accidents and another member confirmed that it is possible to induce cancer by injecting prisoners with carcinogens.
We at AMCD support the work of the Fakhoury family to help political prisoners worldwide. Visit the Foundation’s website and donate here.