STL Defense Office chief thanks team as case closes with Merhi, Oneissi sentencing

Head of Defense Office of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), Dorothée Le Fraper du Hellen, has thanked the Defense Counsel after appeal judges sentenced Hezbollah members Hassan Merhi and Hussein Oneissi to life imprisonment for their roles in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

"Following the pronouncement of the Judgment, Le Fraper du Hellen wishes to thank Defense Counsel and their teams for the considerable amount of work that they have done since being assigned to ensure the effective representation of the interests and rights of Merhi and Oneissi," she said in a statement.

She also extended her thanks to all Defense Counsel and the members of their teams who have appeared before the STL over the years.

"Ms Le Fraper du Hellen recalls the major challenges that Defense Counsel have had to face in the STL-11-01 case, including the defense of the interests and rights of the Accused in the context of an in absentia trial, as well as the volume of the case file and its complexity in terms of the technical evidence," the statement said.

Le Fraper du Hellen highlighted "the essential role played by the Defense Office as a statutory independent organ protecting the rights of the Defense."

"Considered by many practitioners of international criminal law as one of the best practices for future institutions, the Defense Office acted in accordance with its mandate to strengthen equality of arms with the Office of the Prosecutor and to provide all necessary legal, financial and logistical support for the defense teams," the statement said said.

Le Fraper du Hellen also reaffirmed her gratitude to the State of Lebanon "for the support that it has provided to the work of the Defense before the Tribunal." She also extended her "thoughts to the victims and more widely to the Lebanese people on this day, which marks the completion of the judicial proceedings in the STL 11-01 case."

The statement concluded that "on behalf of the Defense Office, Ms Dorothée Le Fraper du Hellen would like to pay tribute to the work of all those who have provided their support to the Defense over the years in the STL 11-01 case, and more broadly in the other cases before the Tribunal, as well as to all the sections of the Tribunal which have contributed to the work of justice."