Report: Badreddine’s Defense Counsel Challenged STL Jurisdiction

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The defense team of Hizbullah suspect Mustafa Badreddine challenged the jurisdiction of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon by submitting a preliminary motion, al-Akhbar daily reported Saturday.

The move came on Friday before the May 4 deadline set by Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen to file motions challenging the tribunal's jurisdiction, it said.

According to Badreddine’s defense team, that is led by French-Lebanese lawyer Antoine Qorqmaz, the STL is illegal and that the U.N. Security Council abused its authority by issuing resolution 1757 in 2007 that authorized the formation of the court.

The counsel claimed that the assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri in 2005, though tragic, it did not “constitute a threat to international peace and security” as claimed by 1757 and accused the Security Council of resorting to chapter 7 of the U.N. charter over the failure of establishing the court through an agreement between Lebanon and the world body.

The team also claimed that the killing of Hariri in a massive car bombing on the Beirut seafront was not in any way linked to international terrorism and quipped that the Security Council didn’t establish such a tribunal even after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The council said the STL is not compatible with the mission of the U.N. in spreading peace and security because it is a source of division among Lebanon’s different political and sectarian factions.

It added that the tribunal was established in contravention with the Lebanese constitution and the country’s sovereignty according to international law.

The STL announced earlier this month that it would put Badreddine and three other Hizbullah members on trial in their absence over Hariri’s murder.

Lebanese Labor Minister Salim Jreissati told Radio Orient on Saturday that the defense teams of the four Hizbullah suspects and not just Badreddine filed motions challenging the STL’s jurisdiction.

Comments 5
Thumb jcamerican 05 May 2012, 10:14

Interesting issues.

Thumb geha 05 May 2012, 10:24

well this mean hizbushaitan recognizes this court.
but their claims will be rejected on the following basis:
- hizbushaitan is considered as an international terrorist orgnization by the world community.
- thus all their claims are flawed.
anyway, at the end of this tribunal, there will be no hizbushaitan anymore.

Thumb hakawati 05 May 2012, 13:33

@geha

Don't spread lies. Neither the United Nations nor the European Union consider Hezbollah as an "international terrorist organization".

Only the the peace loving countries USA, Israel, Great Britain and Canada list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Thumb geha 05 May 2012, 10:24

well this mean hizbushaitan recognizes this court.
but their claims will be rejected on the following basis:
- hizbushaitan is considered as an international terrorist orgnization by the world community.
- thus all their claims are flawed.
anyway, at the end of this tribunal, there will be no hizbushaitan anymore.

Default-user-icon M.Align Tumor (Guest) 05 May 2012, 11:47

The defendants convey the same discourse that the Baath regimes kept producing during years to our handcuffed countries and souls)i.e
"We need our quota of indispensible regular killings"
"These killings cover all,from the poor little school kid to top Statesmen,journalists,artists,officers,religious leaders and by-standers"
When a foreign source asks us for accountabilty,it is expeditiously accused of plotting against our eternal resistance-busy error-free Umma(and sub-ummas, like Hezbo)
When the Int.Community calls us to task, our octopussy regime swiftly points its many fingers to Israel and denounces double standards.
If in order attend to this cancer,the Security Council takes action, then, octopussy,after a zillion embarrased hesitations and zig-zaging,asserts with foxy Qorqmartness that "what we did not commit" was nobodie's business and is not a mass killing or a terrorist threat".
How can a country blessed with such a miserable curse breathe & thrive?