Tribunal releases indictment in Hariri case
by Paul Dakiki
Hizbollah had issued threats in case the indictment against four of its members was made public.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has made public the indictment against the suspected authors of the murder in 2005 of Rafik Hariri (seen here to the left of Hizbollah leader Nasrallah). The former Lebanese prime minister died in a car bomb that killed at least 21 people. The indictment contains evidence against four suspects linked to Hizbollah. In recent months, Hizbollah had issued threats against the indictment’s release, accusing the STL’s conclusions of being pro-Israel.
The decision to go public with the indictment comes after months of hesitation, rumours and leaks. In a statement, the STL said, “Prosecution has presented sufficient evidence on a prima facie basis to proceed to trial;” however, “This does not imply that the individuals are guilty, but merely establishes that there is enough material for them to be tried.”
The STL also made public the full text of the arrest warrants against the four Hizbollah officials: Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra.
Badreddine, according to the indictment, “served as the overall controller of the operation.” Ayyash “coordinated the assassination team, which was responsible for the physical preparation of the attack.” The other two, Oneissi and Sabra “had the task of preparing the false claim of responsibility, which served to identify the wrong people to investigate, in order to shield the conspirators from justice”.
The decision to go public with the indictment comes after months of hesitation, rumours and leaks. In a statement, the STL said, “Prosecution has presented sufficient evidence on a prima facie basis to proceed to trial;” however, “This does not imply that the individuals are guilty, but merely establishes that there is enough material for them to be tried.”
The STL also made public the full text of the arrest warrants against the four Hizbollah officials: Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra.
Badreddine, according to the indictment, “served as the overall controller of the operation.” Ayyash “coordinated the assassination team, which was responsible for the physical preparation of the attack.” The other two, Oneissi and Sabra “had the task of preparing the false claim of responsibility, which served to identify the wrong people to investigate, in order to shield the conspirators from justice”.
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