U.N. Chief Urges All Parties to 'Respect Decision' of STL
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres takes note of the judgement delivered by the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon in which Hassan Merhi and Hussein Oneissi were convicted in relation to the 14 February 2005 attack in Beirut that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others and injured 226 more, his spokesman said.
Noting that Merhi and Oneissi “remain at large,” the spokesman said “the Secretary-General’s thoughts are with the victims of the 14 February attack and their families.”
“The Secretary-General expresses his deep appreciation for the dedication and hard work of the judges and staff involved in this case throughout the years,” the spokesman added.
“The Secretary-General notes the independence and impartiality of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and calls upon all to respect the decision of the Tribunal. The Secretary-General urges the international community to continue supporting the work of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as it brings this case to a close,” he said.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was established at the request of Lebanon pursuant to an agreement between the United Nations and the Government of Lebanon that was brought into effect by the United Nations Security Council.
On March 3, the tribunal’s appeals judges overturned the acquittals of Merhi and Oneissi, who are members of Hizbullah. The five-judge appeals panel convicted the two men of five charges linked to the assassination, including conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and being accomplices to intentional homicide.
The unanimous appeals decision said that judges in the original trial verdict "committed errors of law invalidating the Judgment and errors of fact occasioning a miscarriage of justice."
Merhi and Oneissi were originally cleared in August 2020 of involvement in the assassination outside a seaside hotel in Beirut. A third Hizbullah member, Salim Ayyash, was convicted at the time as a co-conspirator on five charges linked to his alleged involvement in the 2005 suicide truck bombing that killed Hariri and 21 others.
Prosecutors said Merhi and Oneissi played "a significant role" in the plot by distributing a video with a false claim of responsibility after the bombing.
All the suspects were tried in their absence as they were never arrested. The court said Merhi and Oneissi will be sentenced at a later date and issued fresh arrest warrants for both men following the convictions.
The tribunal's 2020 verdict was met with anger and disappointment in parts of Lebanon after judges said there was no evidence that Hizbullah's leadership and Syria were involved in the attack, despite saying the assassination happened as Hariri and his political allies were discussing calling for Syria to withdraw its forces from Lebanon.
Source: Naharnet
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