
A photo of Archimandrite Anania Kojanian. (Credit: NNA)
Archimandrite Anania Kojanian, 40, was found dead, reportedly murdered, in his home on Saturday morning in the Bsalim area of Metn. He was responsible for the affairs of the Armenian Orthodox community in Zahle and Anjar, in the Bekaa region.
According to security sources cited by L’Orient-Le Jour, the crime likely occurred the night before, and his sister raised the alarm. His body was discovered by a housekeeping staff member, and Internal Security Forces (ISF) detected signs of violence. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause and time of death.
Sources indicate there was no sign of forced entry. The suspected motive is robbery, as his car is missing, but it remains unclear whether other belongings were stolen or if the cleric knew his attackers. Neighbors reportedly noticed comings and goings at his home on Friday, and construction work was ongoing at his residence.
Hagop Terzian, a Beirut MP from the Armenian Tashnag Party, confirmed the murder to L’Orient-Le Jour. He stated that Kojanian had not communicated with anyone since Friday, prompting the party to issue a missing persons alert on Saturday morning.
"Sadly, we received confirmation of his death around 11 a.m.," Terzian said, adding that very few details are known. No suspects have been identified, though it is possible he opened the door to his assailants himself.
"He was a kind and gentle man; I knew him personally," Terzian said, struggling to process the news. "The level of insecurity has become intolerable," he added.
Criminal incidents are on the rise in various regions of Lebanon. On Jan. 27, the lifeless body of a gas station owner in Mazraat Yachouh, Metn, was found tied up and dumped inside a restroom. Four of his Syrian employees were suspected of the murder, which appears to have been motivated by robbery. On Jan. 14, a car dealer was murdered in Dbayeh, also in Metn. His killer was later arrested in Beirut's southern suburbs by the Internal Security Forces (ISF). Another robbery-related crime was also committed in the Ashrafieh district.
Outraged reactions have followed one another since the crime was announced on Saturday morning. President Joseph Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati contacted Armenian Patriarch Aram Kechichian to offer their condolences and denounce the crime. According to a statement published by the official National News Agency (NNA), Mikati “has instructed the security forces to speed up the investigation and identify and arrest the culprits.”
On his X account, Hagop Pakradounian, secretary general of the Tachnag party, strongly denounced “the murder of Archimandrite Anania Kojanian,” deploring that “this loving and dynamic cleric was tortured and put to death in the worst possible way.” “We insist on the need not to slide into discord because of an individual act, and to keep confidence in our security forces who will know how to prosecute and then penalize the culprits,” he continued.
Caretaker Industry Minister Georges Bouchikjian felt that “attacking religious leaders is the height of crime and insecurity because such acts are likely to sow discord among the population.”
The Armenian leaders' references to “discord” follow rumours of the possible involvement of Syrian refugees in the crime, which have not yet been confirmed by any official source. Nevertheless, Maroun Khawli, coordinator of the National Campaign for the Repatriation of Displaced Syrians, issued a statement in which he “holds the Lebanese authorities responsible for any crime resulting from lax security.”
For its part, the Free Patriotic Movement issued a statement strongly denouncing the assassination of Archimandrite Kojanian. It called on “the security forces to shed light on this case and put a stop to this wave of robbery-related murders throughout the country.”