Mirza Says No Need to Speed up Arrest of Suspects Named in Indictment
Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza said that there is time to find and arrest the four people named in the warrants issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination.
“We have 30 days to deal with the issue,” Mirza told An Nahar newspaper on Wednesday.
The Central News Agency quoted tribunal sources as saying that the second set of arrest warrants will be issued at the end of the month.
The number of the warrants is expected to be between 14 and 17.
The U.N.-backed court last month issued the indictment and arrest warrants for Hariri's murder, naming four Hizbullah members. Their whereabouts are unknown.
The STL was set up in The Hague in 2009 by the United Nations to try those alleged to have carried out Hariri's killing.
If no arrests are made, the court can publicize their names and call on the accused to surrender within a month, after which the defense chief of the STL can himself appoint lawyers from his office's list to represent defendants in absentia.
An absent defendant or his lawyer who appears before the tribunal at any point during or after the trial can also request a new trial. Defendants can also appear in court via video link.
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