Britain Donates $1.6 Million to STL
British Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced that London will provide an additional £1 million ($1.6 million) to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
“We will provide £1 million to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, taking the UK’s total contribution to £3.3 million since 2009,” Hague said in a written statement to Parliament on Monday.
“This contribution underlines the UK’s steadfast support for the Special Tribunal which is key to holding to account of those guilty of serious crimes and ending the climate of impunity for political assassination in Lebanon,” he said.
“The UK is, and will remain, committed to working towards Lebanon’s continued sovereignty and stability,” Hague stressed.
“We believe there should be no impunity for the most serious crimes at the international level. The effective prosecution of those who commit these crimes is fundamental to preventing such crimes, which in turn is vital in the development of communities which are more stable and prosperous," he said in his statement.
He also announced additional UK funding for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
The U.N. has extended the mandate of the STL for another three years.
The tribunal, set up by the U.N. Security Council at the request of Lebanon to try ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s suspected assassins, also announced that it will put four Hizbullah members on trial even though they have not yet been detained.
Lebanon is responsible for meeting 49 percent of the STL's financing, while the remaining 51 percent is the responsibility of contributing countries.
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