Ramzi Abdel Khalek

My name is Ramzi. I was a 21 year old AUB student. I used to spend my time either in class or with my friends. My life was not any different from that of a modern day college student. The only difference was that I had to drive by neighborhoods marked with the presence of militia men. Places where I was at risk of getting stopped at a checkpoint.I was aware of the dangers but I was not conscious that it could happen to me.

Was it my youth and optimism that had me denying that my fate could be similar to thousand other misfortunates? Or maybe it was the secular environment I was raised in that held me back from believing that the indication of my religious sect on my identity card would pave the way for so much suffering?

On July 29th 1982, when my friends came to pick me up at the end of the day, I was not home. A couple of days later, my car was found and recognized by the AUB stickers I had put on its back.

34 years later, my disappearance remains a source of pain and suffering to my loved ones. My sister Dima often wonders if the people that kidnapped me that day knew that their act would generate this much suffering.

My name is Ramzi Abdel Khalek. Do not let my story end here.