Bellemare Says Publishing Accused Details Aims to 'Increase Likelihood' of Arresting Them
Special Tribunal for Lebanon Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen’s decision to lift the confidentiality on the full names and aliases, biographical information, photographs and charges against the individuals named in the indictment “has been taken to increase the likelihood of apprehending the accused in case any of them is seen by the public,” STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said Friday, hours after Fransen’s ruling was announced.
“The Prosecutor reiterates that the named individuals are innocent until the Tribunal has reached a final verdict after the completion of the trial and any appeals,” the Office of the Prosecutor said in a statement.
“Indeed, the arrest of the four accused is only a first step in the process of uncovering the truth,” the OTP added.
“While the Lebanese Authorities persist in their efforts to arrest the accused, the Office of the Prosecutor continues to investigate and prepare for trial,” it noted.
Fransen has ordered confidentiality around the charges against Salim Ayyash, 47, Mustafa Badreddine, 50, Hussein Anaissi, 37 and Assad Sabra, 34, be dropped, STL’s press office said earlier on Friday.
Prosecutor Bellemare alleged the four men named in the indictment were involved in the February 14, 2005 attack that killed former premier Rafik Hariri and 22 others in a bomb blast.
The four are operatives of Hizbullah, including Badreddine, a brother-in-law of Hizbullah military commander Imad Mughniyeh who was assassinated in Damascus in 2008.
Ayyash and Badreddine face five charges, the STL said, including "conspiracy aimed at committing a terrorist act; committing a terrorist act by means of an explosive device; intentional homicide of Rafik Hariri with premeditation by using explosive materials; intentional homicide of 21 persons in addition to Rafik Hariri with premeditation by using explosive materials; and attempted intentional homicide of 231 persons with premeditation by using explosive materials."
Anaissi and Sabra also face a charge of conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and are accused of being accomplices in the other four other charges leveled against Ayyash and Badreddine.
The names of the four, whose whereabouts are not known, were revealed by the Lebanese government late last month after being leaked to local media following a tribunal confirmation on June 30 that it had submitted a confidential indictment and arrest warrants to Lebanese authorities.
On July 8, the judge issued an international arrest warrant against the accused and it authorized the prosecutor's office to give it to Interpol to issue a "red notice" on the suspects.
"The order states that prosecutor Daniel A. Bellemare, after consultations with the Lebanese prosecutor general, indicated that lifting the confidentiality of this information 'does not contradict Lebanese law with regards to the executed arrests'," the STL said.
Bellemare first submitted his indictment for review by Fransen on January 17, 2011.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said earlier this month he would never hand over the four members of his group, adding that The Netherlands-based tribunal was heading for a trial in absentia.
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