Bellemare Demands Lebanese Authorities to be Heard in the Trial Chamber
Special Tribunal for Lebanon prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said Tuesday it was premature to begin a trial in absentia against the accused Hizbullah members, demanding the Lebanese authorities to be heard in the Trial Chamber.
Lebanon's government has so far failed to arrest Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi, and Assad Sabra, wanted for the February 2005 murder of Hariri and 22 others.
"It is premature to initiate a trial in abstentia", Bellemare said in a document published on the court's website.
Last month, a judge asked the pre-trial chamber to determine whether proceedings in absentia against the four Hizbullah members were appropriate.
Ahead of a Friday hearing on the issue, the court asked both the prosecutors and defense lawyers to weigh in.
"Not enough time has been allowed for the Lebanese authorities to effect the arrests of the four accused," Bellemare said.
A previous Beirut government, led by Hariri's son Saad, cooperated with the tribunal, but in January Hizbullah toppled that western-backed coalition, largely over its support for the tribunal.
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has dismissed the STL as a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy, vowing that no member of Hizbullah would ever be found or arrested.
"Not enough has been done to effect the arrests because the Lebanese authorities have either been unable or unwilling to do so," the prosecutor's statement further said, adding that " the Trial Chamber must invite the Lebanese authorities to be heard and to give evidence."
The Hague-based STL, which opened its doors in 2009, is the first international tribunal which can hold trials in absentia.
It is also the first with a designated defense office responsible for protecting the rights of the accused.
Source: Agence France Presse
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