Ghassan Tueni campaigns for freedom, unity and tolerance in a country often splintered among religious and ethnic lines. In his writing he promotes the idea of a nation that can be strong through its diversity.
Born in Beirut in 1926 and educated at Harvard University, he returned to Lebanon in 1948 in order to carry on the work of his father, Gebrane Tueni, who ran the "An-Nahar" daily - an independent newspaper in Arabic founded by him in 1933.
His political career dates back to 1951, and he has several times held cabinet posts in Lebanese governments. As a diplomat he was Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations between 1977 and 1982.
He is also a strong supporter of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly - a body that aims to build parliamentary dialogue between countries that border the Mediterranean.
Mr Tueni agreed to be nominated for the Sakharov prize for freedom of thought in memory of five people who have been assassinated in Lebanon. They are:
His son Gebrane Tueni: Member of the Lebanese Parliament and a journalist who published editorials in "An-Nahar" critical of the foreign occupation of Lebanon. His persistent campaigning against the Syrian military presence and political influence in Lebanon triggered threats on his life that drove him into temporary exile in France. He died in a car bomb attack on 12 Dec 2005, one day after returning to Lebanon
Rafik Hariri: Prime Minister of Lebanon 1992-1998 and from 2000-2004. Mr Hariri played a leading role in the reconstruction of Beirut and worked towards unity of the different religious and ethnic groups. In 1993 he founded a television station in Beirut; he also founded a newspaper, "Al-mustaqbal" (The Future). He was assassinated on 14 February 2005, in a bomb attack on his convoy in central Beirut. A further 21 other people were also killed in the attack.
Bassel Fleihan: An adviser to the Ministry of Finance in Lebanon, from 1993-1999 and Minister of Economy and Trade 2000-2003. He played a major role in the development of Lebanon's economic reform program. He also died following the attack which killed Mr Hariri.
Samir Kassir: University professor, journalist and historian. He was also a columnist for the Lebanese daily newspaper "An-Nahar". Assassinated in a car bomb attack in Beirut on June 2, 2005
George Hawi: Lebanese politician and former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party. Frequently spoke out against Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs. Assassinated in Beirut, in June 2005, when a bomb planted in his car was detonated by remote control.
Profiles of the other two nominees for the Sakharov prize have been published. They are;
All those fighting for hostages kidnapped in Colombia: - profile published on 10 October
Alexander Milinkevich - profile published on 17 October
The winner will be chosen by the leaders of the 7 political groups in the Parliament on 26 October.
