Shatah's Assassination, Recent 'Crimes' to be Referred to Judicial Council
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The Higher Defense Council agreed on Saturday to refer the assassination case of ex-Finance Minister Mohammed Shatah and the "latest crimes" to the Judicial Council, Caretaker Premier Najib Miqati and the HDC announced.
“During our meeting with (President Michel) Suleiman, the caretaker Justice Minister joined us, so we asked him to prepare the appropriate documents to refer yesterday’s crime and the recent crimes to the Judicial Council,” Miqati said following an emergency HDC meeting at Baabda Palace.
The caretaker premier did not reveal which crimes will be referred to the Judicial Council, which is the country's highest judicial authority.
In recent months, a series of explosions have struck districts dominated by Hizbullah, apparently in retaliation for the group's decision to dispatch its fighters to Syria.
The latest was twin suicide bombings targeting the Iranian embassy in Beirut's southern suburbs in November.
There were deadly twin car bombings that hit two Sunni mosques in the northern city of Tripoli in August.
Hizbullah military commander Hassan Hollo al-Laqqis was also assassinated earlier this month near his residence in Hadath, south of Beirut.
Caretaker Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi told LBCI TV that al-Laqqis' murder was not among the crimes that will be tackled by the council.
Shatah, who was ex-Premier Saad Hariri's adviser and a former ambassador, was killed on Friday in car bombing in downtown Beirut.
Miqati hoped for limiting the tense rhetoric, saying “it's not the time for settling political scores … and launching accusations.”
“The revival of trust between the different parties has become a priority,” he said. “We have to search for a road that does not lead to the abyss.”
He called for dialogue to end the crises gripping the country and appealed for the swift formation of “a government that does not exclude anyone.”
Addressing the Lebanese, he said: “Let's revive the commitment to the dissociation policy.”
“We would prevent strife and conflicts in our land if we stayed away from the developments in Syria,” he said.
“It's been years that we have been witnessing divisions … The Lebanese are fed up,” he said.
Miqati called for cooperation between the rival camps to protect the nation, saying remorse will be useless.
Describing Shatah as an “intellectual,” he extended his condolences to the former finance minster's family and the relatives of several others killed in the bombing.
The blast was a target to Lebanon's stability, he said.
Following Miqati's remarks, the HDC issued its statement, saying it was committed to fighting terrorism.
“We will confront all terrorist attempts to target Lebanon,” said HDC general secretary Gen. Mohammed Kheir.
28 December 2013, 11:05
45
"Miqati hoped for limiting the tense rhetoric, saying “it's not the time for settling political scores … and launching accusations.”"
~ Then let the public have the facts ...
“The revival of trust between the different parties has become a priority,” he said. “We have to search for a road that does not lead to the abyss.”
~ This sounds exactly like political cover for heinous crimes ...
28 December 2013, 11:11
24
@ ice man
Have you found out the names of the others killed in the Shatah car bombing ... haven't seen that list yet ???
28 December 2013, 11:57
12
@mckinl....
43 minutes ago Mohammed al-Chaar, who was wounded in Friday's blast, passed away.
This is the kid in the red shirt who took a group photo with his 3 other friends seconds before the explosion. The doomed car appears in the photo just behind the group of friends as they posed for the camera. The photo has gone viral on social websites. May his young and innocent soul rest in peace. Haram......
28 December 2013, 11:06
45
"latest crimes" to the Judicial Council, Caretaker Premier Najib Miqati and the HDC announced.
Great News.... Now, that is called action that will instill safety and security in every citizen's heart. Btw, has the Judicial Council solved René Mouwad murder case yet?
28 December 2013, 11:38
42
I can live with what caretaker PM Mikati said, disputing such a position would in all cases be tantamount to accepting this latest horrible crime. Yet, I would also advise anyone in power, to give diligent and a fair approach, as diligent and as fair as to all the cases where it concerns the attacks on Hezbollah's victims. It has become a matter of bitter frustration to note that whenever an M14 personality gets killed, there's never the same zeal in finding the culprits and bringing them to justice. Al Chatah was a most moderate and respectable personality whose moderating influence helped a lot in attenuating so many salutations that may have engulfed the country, his death today calls for swift action and avoid the nation anymore speculation whose effects now are becoming most harmful to us all.
28 December 2013, 11:44
43
I can understand the profound divide between the rival political entities, but when it comes to the state's security forces, any such divisions become mortal. It is totally unacceptable to see our country security emasculated because of this absurd division that pits one force against the other. One can understand this in universities for example, but in our security system? This is rejected totally and absolutely.Whether we like it or not, we Lebanese are now confronted to a very difficult situation, we have Hezbollah and those it opposes in Lebanon deeply involved in Syria, we have refugees in frightful numbers, we have the Palestinian element that remains as volatile as ever. We further have no government, no parliament and soon no president, whoever is trying to control this country must be using extremely wrong calculations. It's about time to start thinking in the right order.
28 December 2013, 11:49
35
What joke, judicial council how many cases have the judicial council completed, by the time they get to this one who ever is doing the assasinations would be in power then nothing will get solved. Why don't you do the elections and then we can elect a goverment that will get things done .
28 December 2013, 12:29
21
على احفاد عمر قاهر الرومان والفرس، رجال الامة العربية والاسلامية في لبنان ان يفرضوا سلطتهم في مناطقهم وان يواجهوا كل من يعتدي عليهم. لبنان حيث يتحالف الصفويون مع الشيطان الاكبر كما يفعلون في العراق وافعانستان يقوم بدور معادي للامة العربية والاسلامية فليكن مقبرة للاستعمار واذنابه الصفويين.
كلنا اخوان كلنا طالبان من المحيط الى الخليج.
28 December 2013, 14:28
01
Judicial Council, Investigation, Higher Security Whatever, Saqr Saqr, Said Mirza, STL....Heard it all a million times before:
Tozzzzz
28 December 2013, 20:22
00
Arab/Muslims killing Arab/Muslims. It is not enough that the Iraqis and Syrians kill each other? I thought we were more educated, civilized and know better then them. Are the Lebanese people going to be forced to accept this faith inside Lebanon as a gesture to condone and legitimize these horrific butchery that is being practiced in the region by those who kill in the name of god and under cover of religion?
