STL Trial Chamber Decides to Try Accused in Absentia

The Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has decided to try the four men accused in the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri in absentia, the STL said on Wednesday in a statement.

“The Trial Chamber examined numerous documents from the Tribunal's Prosecutor (Daniel Bellemare) and the Lebanese Prosecutor-General (Saeed Mirza), which detail the steps taken by the Lebanese authorities to apprehend the accused and inform them about the proceedings,” the Hague-based court said.

“These efforts included multiple attempts by the Lebanese authorities to find the accused at their last known residences, places of employment, family homes and other locations. The Trial Chamber also took into consideration the fact that the indictment and the identities of the accused received massive publicity in Lebanon,” the tribunal noted.

It said the Trial Chamber concluded that all “reasonable steps” had been taken to secure the appearance of the accused and to notify them of the charges against them.

While the STL is the only international tribunal that can prosecute accused in their absence, “it is a measure of last resort to ensure that the pursuit of justice is not paralyzed by those who choose to abscond,” the court clarified.