Sirhan Bishara Sirhan is a Palestinian militant who was found answerable after assassinating Robert F. Kennedy- the senator of the United States. The incident took place at Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California on 5th June 1968. Later the following day, Kennedy was found dead at Good Samaritan Hospital. He was convicted of murder and was sentenced to life at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in California. On 27th August 2021, Sirhan was commended to parole by California Parole Board.
This was the first time when the prosecution party declined to oppose his release under the policy by Attorney George Gascon who was the former police officer who attended his last year in the office after running on a reform platform. He was nurtured in an Arab Christian family where he used to attend Lutheran School. in 1989, he told the following words to David Frost who was a British television host, comedian, writer, and journalist as well:
“..My only connection with Robert Kennedy was his support for Israel and his conscious attempt to send those 50 bombers to Israel that was intended to have obvious harm with the Palestinians…..and some scholars believed that this assassination was the primary considerable incident of the political violence that took place in the United States staunching from Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East…”
Sirhan Sirhan Early life
He was born on 14th March 1944 in Jerusalem, Palestine in an Arab Palestinian Christian Family. Later he became a Jordanian citizen following the annexation of the West Bank of Jordanian. According to his mother, He (as a child) was lacerated by the violence in the Arab-Israeli conflict that took away the life of his elder brother who was run over by a Jordanian military vehicle that further changed the direction of the conflict. When Sirhan was in his childhood stage at the age of 12, his family immigrated to the US moving and for short time to New York, and later to California. He attended Eliot Junior High School in Altadena and then visit John Muir High School and Pasadena City College in Pasadena.
So, it could be inferred that he had attained a quite normal life followed by well-educated people and the environment. But Sirhan’s father Bishara was being characterized as a stern man who often used to beat his child harshly. At the time when Sirhana’s family moved to California, Bishara- the father of the child- returned alone to the Middle East. Thereafter, at the age of 20 years old, with a standing body of 5 feet 5 inches and weight of 120 pounds, Sirhan moved to Corona to become a trained jockey while working at a stable but soon he lost his job and later suffered a head injury in a racing accident.
Sirhan never had American citizenship neither he attained it in reality instead he retained his Jordanian citizenship though he stayed in the US for a long time. As an adult, he tried to proceed with church persuasions many times. Some of which included his joining with Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist Church, an esoteric organization, and many more.
The assassination that took place in 1968
On 5th June 1968, at around 12:15 am PDT, Sirhan fired a 22 caliber Iyer-Johnson revolver at the United States, Senator Robert F. Kennedy. There were many authors, professional footballers, and including an Olympic gold medalist of 1960 name Rafer Johnson; they all were among the men who subdued and demobilized Sirhan after a struggle. Sirhan shot Kennedy many times with three shots- one bullet in his head and two bullets on his back- with the fourth bullet that was passed through his jacket. Kennedy fought for almost 26 hours in the hospital and after such a huge and terrible operation he was declared dead. Despite Kennedy, other five personalities were present at the time of the incident and were shot at the scene but all later were recovered at the hospital.
Sirhan Sirhan Biography |
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| Real Name | Sirhan Bishara Sirhan |
| Birth Date | March 19, 1944 |
| Age (as of 2021) | 77 Years |
| Birth Place | Jerusalem, Mandatory, Palestine |
| Nationality | Palestinian, Jordanian |
| Crime | Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Sun sign | Pisces |
Physical Statistics |
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| Height | in feet inches – 5’ 5” – in Centimeters – 165 cm |
| Weight | in Kilograms – 54 kg – in Pounds – 120 lbs |
| Hair Color | Gray |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Body Type | Slim |
Family |
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| Father | Bishara Sirhan |
| Mother | Mary Muzhea |
| Sister | Aida Sirhan |
| Brother | Munir Sirhan |
Qualification/Education |
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| School | Lutheran School, Eliot Junior High School |
| College | – |
Relationship Status |
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| Marital Status | Single |
| Who is his wife? | Not Known |
| Children | – |
Sirhan Sirhan Parole
Sirhan the man behind the conviction of the assassination in 1968 was commended for parole on Friday, 27th August 2021. After spending 53 years in prison, the 77-year old captive’s fate is now in the hands of California’s Governor. As far as Kennedy’s family is concerned, two of his surviving sons had supported the release of Sirhan during his 16th appearance before the parole board. On the other hand, Kennedy’s other children had strongly opposed the move. He arrived at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in May 1969.
He was put under the conviction of first-degree murder with a cudgel of an attempt to murder. Douglas Kennedy who is the tenth child of Robert F. Kennedy and an American journalist said in his statement, that the moment he saw Sirhan, he was overwhelmed to be able to see Mr. Sirhan face to face. He was a toddle when his father was assaulted and shot dead many a time with single gunfire in 1968. Douglas further added that he had lived his life both in fear and in the way of remembering his name in one or another way. He felt grateful for seeing the man as a worthy human being with the compassion of love.
Trivia
- Though it was Sirhan’s 16th appearance in from of the parole board, this was the first time when the prosecutors did not oppose the release.
- Los Angeles Country District Attorney George Gascon did not allow the prosecutors to be available to speak in opposition of Sirhan’s release in front of the parole board suggesting that the role of prosecutor ended at the time of sentencing.
- However, the Los Angeles enforcement submitted a letter in opposition who said in return that there were many letters from the public and the members of Kennedy’s family.
- At this cavernous stage of Sirhan’s life and his actions that he performed years ago, Barton said that panel would consider all the submissions including the attempts to determine whether he would be proved as a safe man or a danger to society or not. To this, Sirhan had few words to say that “….I had no such intention to whosoever…”
- Barton said that He was qualified as a young offender and had qualified the youth parole-eligibility and he was supposed to get huge weight under the law. Also, he had qualified for parole at the age of 77 after being succored as an offender for more than 20 years.
