United Nations issues indictments in Hariri assassination case

Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated on Feb. 14th, 2005 in downtown Beirut. [Abdo Zakka/Al-Shorfa]

Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated on Feb. 14th, 2005 in downtown Beirut. [Abdo Zakka/Al-Shorfa]

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In a highly anticipated move the Special Tribunal for Lebanon issued indictments Thursday (June 30th) for individuals involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Prosecutor General Judge Said Mirza met with a delegation from the Tribunal and received a copy of the indictment. Prosecutors issued arrest warrants for four individuals.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel announced that warrants were issued for Mustafa Badreddine, a Hizbullah military official, Salim Ayyash, Hussein Anaissi and Assad Sabra. Badreddine is suspected of being the mastermind of Hariri's assassination. He is the brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyeh, a former top Hizbullah operative who was killed in 2008 during a car bombing in Damascus, according to wire reports. Ayyash is another top Hizbullah party official.

Hariri was assassinated in downtown Beirut on February 14th, 2005. The attack on his motorcade claimed his life and 22 others.

Also on Thursday, the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati released its ministerial statement which included a clause on the tribunal. Mikati's government was formed after several ministers withdrew their support for Saad Hariri's government in January and resigned.

Mikati said after the indictment was announced that the government "will follow the decision and continue the work and procedures related to it, and will reflect the collective will, which highlights the invulnerability of Lebanon with an emphasis on loyalty to Rafik Hariri through adherence to justice and the preservation of national principles".

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, head of the Future Movement, described the indictment as an historic moment, calling it "an opportunity for the Lebanese government to uphold its responsibilities and for the government to provide full co-operation with the International Tribunal".

He said the government "is called upon, politically, patriotically, legally and morally to implement Lebanon's obligations to the court, and there is no reason for anyone to avoid this responsibility".

Hariri said people should refrain from "interfering with the course of justice", adding that bringing the accused to justice is a guarantee for democracy and stability.

The ministerial statement included a highly anticipated clause related to the Special Tribunal.

The clause stated, "The government, out of respect for international resolutions, affirms its commitment to the truth in the assassination of Rafik Hariri and his companions and will follow the developments of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which was established in principle to establish truth and justice, away from politicisation and revenge in a manner that would not negatively affect Lebanon's stability, unity and civil peace."

Ammar al-Houri, a member of parliament and the Future Movement, told Al-Shorfa, "The indictment is a step towards achieving justice which we have demanded since the crime occurred in 2005."

He said the Lebanese government was responsible for the technical side of implementing the indictment, but that the clause related to the Tribunal in the ministerial statement is "an escape and a retreat from the consensus on the Tribunal which was reached during the national dialogue that was held in 2006".

Al-Houri said the phrase "respect for international resolutions" included in the ministerial statement did not represent a real commitment and was just words.

Walid Sukkarieh, a member of parliament from Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, said the Tribunal was politicised from the start and the target of the indictment was already known.

He told Al-Shorfa, "The indictment was issued to oppose the Mikati government and prevent it from achieving any success that the West would consider harmful to its interests or the interests of its Lebanese allies."

Antoine Klimos, former chairman of the Lebanese Bar Association, said, "As Lebanese, we have waited for this decision to see who was responsible for carrying out this crime." He noted the indictment "is not a judgment, but it embodies an essential step in the Special Tribunal's work".

Klimos said the Public Prosecution Department must act to implement the resolution based upon the agreement Lebanon signed with the United Nations that established the tribunal.

He added, "The public prosecutor must issue arrest warrants that are geographically defined within Lebanon and against the Lebanese individuals named in the indictment as a prelude to extraditing them to the court abroad."

He said the role of Lebanese authorities is only procedural.

Dr. Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University in Beirut, ruled out any serious implications from the indictment because the results were expected for more than a year.

He said, "Everyone in Lebanon knew where things were heading and where they pointed. Even some of the names of the accused were known in the media."

The UN Security Council passed Resolution 1757 on May 30th, 2007 establishing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to investigate the assassination of Hariri and his companions. Lebanon signed an agreement with the United Nations to set up the court on January 23d, 2007.

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  • READER COMMENTS

    حنان

    2011-9-5

    What happens makes Hezbollah groups among the groups potentially involved in the murder and assassination of Hariri. Why else did they withdraw and not cooperate with the international tribunal that works to solve the Hariri assassination? Who is behind it? And what are the motives that caused the murder and assassination of Hariri, in spite of the Lebanese people’s love for him? Did he have enemies, or is this an act with the purpose of removing Hariri from the political scene, so that the atmosphere would be cleared for those who want to control the situation in Lebanon, and so that there wouldn’t be people who work to serve the Lebanese people? Thus, the people would be lost in a state of domestic fighting, racism, sectarianism, segregation and division of Lebanon into groups, parties, sects and religions. Whoever wants such behavior to continue is responsible for the assassination of Hariri.

  • وجد

    2011-9-5

    The groups of Hezbollah are introverted groups with many secrets regarding the murder and assassination of al-Hariri. Therefore, I think that the reason why they are not offering any cooperation or assistance to the international tribunal in the case of al-Hariri’s assassination is that they do not want the facts and evidence that condemn their group for being involved in the assassination to be disclosed. Al-Hariri had great popularity and reputation among the Lebanese people, and he presented many services to citizens, especially the poor ones. As such, those who planned and executed the assassination of al-Hariri didn’t have good intentions for the Lebanese people and didn’t want to serve or unite them, so that Lebanon would remain divided and weak, and for war to continue between its people. Therefore, these groups intentionally committed the assassination of al-Hariri to get rid of him because he was only concerned with extending goodness in Lebanon and among its people. However, committing such acts doesn’t serve the interests of the sabotaging groups that want to harm Lebanon. Therefore, the lack of cooperation on the part of Hezbollah’s groups with the international tribunal in the case of al-Hariri’s assassination makes me suspicious. The groups of Hezbollah were supposed to present assistance, if it had good intentions and if it wanted righteousness to be victorious and wanted to expose the groups involved in the assassination of al-Hariri without any delays. However, what is happening now is suspicious and completely unacceptable.

  • 2011-9-1

    I swear that everyone who commits a criminal act is a mean and cowardly person who doesn’t want good for Lebanon, which suffered a lot from the disunity and problems, but this man, the late al-Hariri, was the most patriotic person through the history and the rule of the country. He was an educated and competent person, and through his position as Prime Minister, he was able to bring the Lebanese together and unite them, and to eliminate disunity. He was also able to fix many problems and to help the poor and others. In addition to that, he participated in developing Lebanon a great deal and opened the way for importation and investment. Here, it has become an economic movement, which was supposed to be the best years ago. Lebanon has never witnessed such stability since the assassination of the Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri and we never knew the real reasons behind this operation, because whoever assassinated this person didn’t want stability for Lebanon, and wanted the situation to be destabilized. If he were alive till today, Lebanon might have become one of the best countries in all the fields, and it might have become very developed, but unfortunately, Lebanon lost a man like al-Hariri. There is a real conspiracy against Lebanon. This case is not vague; it was not only an assassination of this honest person, but it was an assassination of all of Lebanon, because al-Hariri was so popular in Lebanon. His popularity was increasing day after day, and the Lebanese loved him and respected his decisions, and that’s what the enemies of Lebanon from the other parties and those who have ambitions and outside agendas did not like in Lebanon.

  • باسم العلاوي

    2011-8-11

    The assassination of Hariri is a complex issue which took on an international dimension. In fact, this case must come to an end, and the offenders who have carried out this great criminal act must be brought to trial. In fact, no one is above the international law, including members of Hezbollah and others.

  • عبد الكريم محمد

    2011-8-11

    Mr. Rafiq Hariri, may God have mercy on him, was one of the wisest men and had the most potential in the cultural and political field, and he had a great base of supporters. Mr. Rafiq Hariri was Lebanon’s first man; this man had a lot of abilities and he devoted all his time and efforts for the sake of Lebanon and its people, which I think does not appeal to some people who stand opposed to the stability of Lebanon and its people, and who want to impose their power with the force of weapons and the militias that they have. The issue of the assassination of Rafiq Hariri is not a normal thing; it was a planned matter a long time ago, so that corruption, destruction, security and the loss of stability would come to Lebanon, and perhaps the return of civil wars and sectarian hatred. This is what the criminals who assassinated the late Rafiq Hariri wanted. Today, more than five years have passed since this crime was committed, which contributed significantly to the destabilization of the security and stability of Lebanon. After the formation of the International Court, I think that some Lebanese parties are trying by all means and methods to obstruct the work of the International Court and obstruct the investigation so that the International Court will not be able to find the real perpetrator who committed this criminal act, which significantly harmed Lebanon and its people. Today, after the passage of these bitter years in Lebanon, the criminal investigation finally managed to find the four who are suspected of carrying out the assassination of Hariri. Those criminals, who have proven to be involved in this crime, are among the militia elements in the Lebanese Hezbollah party.

  • عمرو حسيب

    2011-8-11

    The terrorists who carried out this cowardly act deserve to be tracked down all through this period of time. Thus, we must look for this man, especially since all the wealth of the Lebanese people is attributable to Rafiq Hariri and his son. The security forces are actually showing respect for the Lebanese people and working on providing them with all the best and success. In fact, the Lebanese people love Rafiq Hariri and his son, Saad, because the latter are honorable people who respect the Lebanese. As far as I am concerned, the Hariri case is very important and needs to be finalized and have a definitive solution, so that the Lebanese will feel comfortable and retaliate for the former Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri. Thus, I call on the court to grant the just sentence to these cowardly terrorist groups that call for destabilizing the situation inside the country. In fact, as we have said before, the terrorist al-Qaeda had a hand in this cowardly act. They will get their just deserts, God willing. May God bless the martyr, Hariri, and grant success to his son, so that he will be just in ruling his poor people. We pray to God that the Lebanese Judiciary will be fair in this case and solve all the problems in Lebanon and all the Arab countries; amen, God the Almighty, so that security and safety will be maintained in the Muslim world.

  • دكاك العمري

    2011-8-11

    This issue has been going on for a very long time. However, we have finally found a solution through arresting the four defendants who are accused of the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri. And now they have been in prisons waiting for the announcement of the court in order to know if they will be executed or not. These defendants deserve more than execution, because they are not only accused of the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri. In fact, they have been accused of many other crimes, such as terrorism and the killing of many citizens. Besides, they had been trained and they had planned to carry out this terrorist operation for a long time. The issue of Rafiq al-Hariri has attracted the attention of the whole Arab world, because he was a great man. And he contributed to the development of his country in terms of construction, architecture, civilization, education and the economy.

  • noor

    2011-8-9

    Al-Hariri was killed because of his philanthropic activities, which earned him the admiration of most of the Lebanese people. However, he also had many enemies who were looking for an opportunity to eliminate him, so that the Lebanese people would not elect him as their leader. So, the operation that targeted Al-Hariri and assassinated him was the result of the hatred and animosity that some of his detractors harbored against him, because of his good character and nature, and the fact that he used to offer help and assistance to many Lebanese people, who had long been suffering from racism, a class system, and religious discrimination, due to the presence of Sunnis, Shiites and Christians in the country. The assassination of Al-Hariri is a crime that was perpetrated by reckless and destructive elements that do not want the good of Lebanon, in order to cause instability in the country, and the loss, impoverishment and slaughtering of the Lebanese people. This is what Al-Hariri was trying to find a solution for, in order to come up with an outcome that would bring peace, mutual love and forgiveness among all the parties, and to rebuild Lebanon. This is what these agents of destruction do not want, as they ambushed and assassinated Al-Hariri in a heinous manner. This caused consternation among the Lebanese people who were supportive of Al-Hariri, as he was their representative and their voice for the sake of the truth, and for finding solutions to most of the problems that Lebanon suffers from. This is why he was assassinated by those who are destroying the country and who do not want the situation there to become stable.

  • احمد

    2011-8-9

    Hariri had always enjoyed the support of the overwhelming majority, because he was a good man and was always known for his generosity, good heart, tolerance and for helping a lot of citizens who desperately needed financial and moral support. In fact, Hariri was popular with the majority of Lebanese people. He was always working to fulfill and meet most of the demands of Lebanese people. In so doing, he was trying to solve most of their problems in order to provide them with all their demands. He was a balanced leader who enjoyed distinguished ethics, and a man of principles and righteousness. He used to help the unprivileged class in Lebanon.

  • omer

    2011-7-26

    Lebanon cannot get rid of those names, because it is a country composed of several nationalities and doctrines, and they all want to be involved in the leadership of the country.

  • الصدك

    2011-7-25

    I do not think that the Lebanese people will get rid of this group governing the country.

  • حاتم

    2011-7-23

    The lack of stability in Lebanon led to the lack of economic stability, which is all the result of the unnatural conditions that do not serve the interests of the country. This will cause great damage to the Lebanese people, who have witnessed many wars, tragedies, killing, blood, civil wars and massacres. Therefore, it is very necessary for the Lebanese people to put the best interest of the country before their eyes, so that the bitter and painful events would not reoccur against innocent citizens who have done nothing. The issue must be reconsidered for the best interest of everyone and so that the bitter events of murder, bloodshed, civil wars and massacres would not come back. This is also to not allow those who want to tamper with the situation to make things worse, because the country is on the edge of a cliff. The situation will go from bad to worse. The deterioration of the economic situation will crush the country and it will not be easy to restore good conditions. If things are not calmed down, then the citizens will live in a state of economic deterioration, as the economy will witness much backwardness as a result of the instability of the situation inside Lebanon. Therefore, I advise patience and quietness, and not giving room for saboteurs, abusers and those who do not want the betterment of the country, as they make conspiracies for non-noble purposes. Therefore, it is best to think well for the best interest of everyone.

  • احمد الجبوري

    2011-7-21

    The right must be restored. Without the UN intervention recently in the Hariri case, the Lebanese people would not have been satisfied, because they now feel that there is someone who will restore their prestige, dignity and sovereignty again. The UN decision is important, as it helps restore the sovereignty of the country. The UN always sponsors those who need help. Imagine how much the American people are reassured, because they are governed by a strong man who is capable of performing all the tasks and overcoming the difficulties. The UN will not accept the current situation in the Arab countries, and it supports the weak in order to get rid of tyranny.

  • عامر العراقي

    2011-7-21

    Certainly, the United Nation's resolutions are all sound and important decisions, as they restore all rights to their owners at any price. I think the UN resolution on the case of the assassination of Hariri is an important step for the country's sovereignty. This proves that the rights of this martyr will not be lost, and that the UN always works for reform and giving everyone their rights, so that peoples can live in peace and safety.

  • waleed al sayagh

    2011-7-21

    The issue of the assassination of Hariri is not easy, and the Lebanese people still want to know who the real killer is. We all want that, because Prime Minister Hariri was very important for the people of Lebanon and for other Arab states. Also, the sovereignty of the country is very important, and restoring their rights will let them have a niche among other countries. Hariri represented a turning point for the life of the Lebanese, and he was always working on reformation. He was cooperative with his people, but some haters who do not want the best and stability for the people of Lebanon attacked the martyr Hariri, blew up his car and killed him.

  • صبا الشكرجي

    2011-7-21

    I bless the UN resolution that has been passed to promote Lebanon's sovereignty and restore its usurped rights in Hariri's case. I wish it would restore full sovereignty of Lebanon and the other Arab states as well.