Former merchant breaks free: Long-time prisoner returns to Lebanese hometown
A Lebanese merchant locked up in Syria for over three decades finally comes back home. His story starts with a simple whiskey sale on a holiday evening that changed everything
In a life-changing turn of events Suheil Hamwi returned to his Lebanese hometown after spending more than three-decades in a Syrian jail; his release came after anti-government forces took control from the Assad regime
The story began on Dec 4th 1992 in the north-Lebanese town of Chekka where Hamwi ran his small-time business (selling various items to local customers). That evening — which happened to be Saint Barbaras Day a halloween-like celebration — would mark the beginning of his long-lasting ordeal
On that fateful night‚ Hamwi was at home with his family: his wife and their baby-boy George who was just ten-months old at the time. A customer knocked on their door looking to buy some whiskey; Hamwi handed his infant son to his wife and went outside to get the bottle from his car
