STL: Defense Motions Challenging Tribunal Jurisdiction Milestone towards Launching Hariri Trial

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon tweeted on Thursday a reminder that Friday is the deadline for the Defense to file motions challenging the jurisdiction of the Tribunal over the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

It said via Twitter: “This will be another milestone towards trial in the case of Ayyash et al.”

“We are conscious that the victims of political assassinations in Lebanon want to see justice served swiftly,” it added.

“We want to assure the Lebanese people that we are doing everything we can to fulfill our mandate fairly and efficiently,” it stressed.

“We will continue with the process of uncovering the truth as expeditiously as possible without compromising on fairness of trial,” it tweeted.

“We must also remember that STL is the first tribunal to consider a crime of terrorism. Such crimes are incredibly complex,” it concluded.

The STL announced on April 16 that Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen has set a timeline for the submission of preliminary motions challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal.

“In order to ensure the preparation of a fair and expeditious trial, Fransen convened a status conference on April 12, 2012,” it said.

“He decided that any preliminary motions challenging the tribunal's jurisdiction must be filed by May 4, 2012,” added the statement

The deadline to submit other preliminary motions will be decided in due course.

In an indictment unsealed in August 2011, it accused four Hizbullah members of being involved in the crime, calling on Lebanese authorities to apprehend them.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said he doubted the four indictees will ever be found and has branded the tribunal a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy aimed at bringing down the party.

Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi, and Assad Sabra are wanted for the February 2005 suicide car bomb attack in Beirut that killed Hariri and 22 others, including the suicide bomber.

Ayyash and Badreddine face five charges including that of "committing a terrorist act by means of an explosive device" and homicide, while Oneissi and Sabra faced charges of conspiring to commit the same acts.