UN tribunal names Hariri suspects

29 July 2011 Last updated at 15:36 GMT Wanted: Four men accused of murdering Rafik Hariri A UN-backed tribunal has released the names of the four indicted suspects in the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

They are all connected with the Lebanese Shia movement, Hezbollah.

The wanted men are Mustafa Amine Badreddine, a senior Hezbollah figure, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra.

Hezbollah is a key part of the Lebanese government and has said it will not allow the men to be arrested.

Their identities had already been leaked, as had their association with Hezbollah.

The tribunal said it was releasing the information in order to facilitate the arrest of the men.

Pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen ordered the lifting of confidentiality on the names, aliases, biographical information, photographs and charges against the individuals named in the indictment, the tribunal said in a statement.

Following the issue of the arrest warrants, the Lebanese authorities have until 11 August to inform the tribunal of the action they will take in response.

Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed in February 2005 in central Beirut when a huge bomb went off near his motorcade.

The assassination plunged Lebanon into a series of political crises, killings and bombings that led to sectarian clashes in 2008, dragging the country to the brink of civil war.

Hariri's son, Saad, has welcomed the indictments and described them as a "historic moment" for Lebanon.

However, there are widespread doubts about whether the authorities will act on the indictments and arrest the wanted men, says the BBC's correspondent in Beirut, in view of the influence wielded by Hezbollah in government.

Earlier this month, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the authorities would never arrest his members.

He dismissed the accusations as unfounded and a failed attempt to bring down Lebanon's new, Hezbollah-backed government.

"They cannot find them or arrest them in 30 days or 60 days, or in a year, two years, 30 years or 300 years," Nasrallah said at the time.

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Hezbollah reject Hariri warrants

3 July 2011 Last updated at 03:50 GMT Nasrallah described The Hague-based tribunal as biased Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has rejected indictments of four of its members over the 2005 assassination of Lebanon's former PM, Rafiq Hariri.

He also said no power would be able to arrest the "honourable brothers", who have not yet been named officially.

It was his first reaction to the indictments issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) on Thursday.

The Shia Islamist movement has repeatedly denounced the UN-backed tribunal and vowed to retaliate.

Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed in February 2005 in central Beirut when a huge bomb went off near his motorcade.

Hariri's son, Saad, welcomed the indictments and described them as a "historic moment" for Lebanon.

'Israeli plot'

In a televised speech on Saturday, Sayyed Nasrallah rejected "each and every void accusation" made by the STL, saying it was tantamount to an attack on the group.

He said the four group members were brothers "who have an honourable history in resisting Israeli occupation".

"They cannot find them or arrest them in 30 days or 60 days, or in a year, two years, 30 years or 300 years," he added. "What will happen is a trial in absentia, a trial in which the verdict has already been reached."

Sayyed Nasrallah went on to describe the STL as full of "financial and moral corruption", and part of an Israeli plot.

"Do you expect this tribunal to be fair with resistance fighters who fought against Israel?" he asked. "This tribunal, since the beginning, was formed for a clear political target."

He displayed documents purporting to show that when the tribunal was transferring equipment from Lebanon to The Hague in 2009, it sent a consignment of 97 computers via Israel.

But the Hezbollah leader also urged people to stop worrying about the potential for conflict, saying the tribunal's indictments would not "drag Lebanon towards strife or civil war".

"This is because there is a responsible government in Lebanon that will not act with revenge," he explained.

Immediately following the speech, bursts of celebratory gunfire and fireworks erupted in Beirut.

On Thursday, State Prosecutor Saeed Mirza said he had received the indictments and four arrest warrants from an STL delegation in Beirut.

Rafik Hariri is widely credited with getting Lebanon back on its feet after the 15-year civil war

The STL later confirmed the indictments, stating that the judge "is satisfied that there is prima facie evidence for this case to proceed to trial".

It added that it would not reveal the identities of those indicted.

However, Interior Minister Marwan Sharbil has told the AFP news agency that the names of the men charged are Mustafa Badr al-Din, Salim al-Ayyash, Assad Sabra and Hassan Unaisi.

Mr Badr al-Din was jailed in Kuwait over a series of bombings in 1983, and is a brother-in-law of the late top Hezbollah military commander, Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in a 2008 bombing in Damascus.

Leaks from the tribunal suggest it is mainly relying on mobile phone evidence to accuse the Hezbollah members, the BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones in Beirut reports.

The Lebanese authorities now have 30 days to arrest the four men, but with Hezbollah being a strong force within the government, no-one is expecting them to do so, our correspondent adds.

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Press on UN Hariri warrants

1 July 2011 Last updated at 11:24 GMT Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati faces a stark choice between justice and stability The press in Lebanon and the wider region is split in its response to the issuing of four arrest warrants by the UN-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 murder of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

In Lebanon itself, the response was divided between those papers loyal to the Hariri dynasty, which hailed the UN court's indictments as a triumph for justice, and papers close to Hezbollah - which has been implicated in the case - seeing the move as a political one intended to pave the way for further Israeli military action against the organisation.

The pan-Arab press warned that the issuing of the arrest warrants might be seen as a provocation by Hezbollah's allies in Syria and Iran and risk triggering a new round of sectarian conflict.

Several Israeli commentators were sceptical that the Lebanese government - in which Hezbollah is a dominant force - would be capable of acting on the indictments and arrest those accused of involvement in Hariri's murder.

Lebanese press

Nai'la Tuini in Al-Nahar

Today is a historic day for all of Lebanon because it opens a window for retrieving the state and gives a real chance to those who want to build a country that is not based on crime, corruption and collaboration … It is a historic day because it brings hope to all the Lebanese who believe in justice and defend the truth.

Editorial in Al-Mustaqbal

Time is up for the killers as the time of justice begins.

Editorial in The Daily Star

The fact that an indictment was issued represents progress for all Lebanon. It is not, however, the end … Active co-operation is needed if Lebanon is to uphold its STL commitment. There is no half measure to be had; an obligation made to justice should bear no regard to the political climate.

Sati Nur-al-Din in Al-Safir

Nobody could have imagined that the four Hezbollah members indicted by the Special Tribunal of Lebanon [STL] might one day be arrested by the Lebanese security authorities and sent to the International Criminal Court in the Hague… The worst thing that Lebanon could do right now is to choose a collision course with the STL.

Fady Noun in French-language L'Orient - Le Jour

It's the hour of truth. Six years after the murder of Rafik Hariri, the indictment in this case has been issued - even if still in a sealed envelope - and four international arrest warrants have been delivered … Long feared on account of Hezbollah's veiled threats, the indictment divides Lebanon and gives rise to fears of renewed violence.

Ibrahim al-Amin in Al-Akhbar

It is easy to draw the conclusion... that the political moment the tribunal chose to issue its political indictment is directly linked to ongoing preparations for a new Israeli war on Lebanon's resistance (Hezbollah) and possibly Syria.

Ra'uf Shahuri in Al-Anwar

The surprise was complete after Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said during a news conference that his government would act responsibly and realistically … In a few days' time, the STL indictment will be swept under the carpet.

Pan-Arab press

Editorial in Al-Quds Al-Arabi

The question that strongly arises after the indictments is how Mikati's government will deal with the mechanisms to implement the decision especially the aspect of arrests?… The indictments and the timing might be a provocation not only for Hezbollah but its allies in Syria and Iran to push them to get involved in a war on Lebanese territory as they will not simply stand by and watch the party being attacked... The whole region is open for all possibilities, including civil and sectarian war.

Basim al-Jasar in Al-Sharq al-Awsat

Najib Mikati's government will not live happy days and Lebanon will not know a promising summer or a cool spring. Things will remain pending and breaths will stay held awaiting developments in Syria.

Israeli press

Smadar Peri in Yediot Aharonot

What will happen when the Lebanese government ignores the charge sheets and the extradition warrants against four Hezbollah activists and does not co-operate with the international court in The Hague? We will very soon discover, because this is exactly what is going to happen … If someone by chance dares to go [to Hezbollah headquarters] and wave the charge sheets, he will not come out of there on his feet.

Boaz Bismuth in Yisrael Hayom

Lebanon is nervous and rightly so, because the indictments hint that Lebanon is again entering a period of uncertainty. Sunni Prime Minister Mikati promised to respect the wish of the international community. However, the composition of his government and Hezbollah's right of veto torpedo any possible goodwill on his part.

Jonathan Spyer in The Jerusalem Post

Hezbollah has the hard power simply to refuse to co-operate with the tribunal, and to prevent by force any attempt to apprehend its members.

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UN court issues Hariri warrants

30 June 2011 Last updated at 14:54 GMT Rafik Hariri is widely credited with getting Lebanon back on its feet after the 15-year civil war Four arrest warrants have been issued by the UN-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 murder of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Lebanon's state prosecutor said.

Hariri's son, Saad, welcomed the indictments and described them as a "historic moment" for Lebanon.

Local reports say the warrants name senior members of the Shia militant and political group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has repeatedly denounced the tribunal and vowed to retaliate.

Divisions over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), based in The Hague, have thrown the country into political turmoil and prompted fears of sectarian unrest.

'Innocent until proven guilty'

Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed in February 2005 in central Beirut when a huge bomb went off as his motorcade passed by.

Continue reading the main story Owen Bennett-Jones BBC News, Beirut

The arrest warrants divide opinion in Lebanon. Many Lebanese want to know who killed Rafik Hariri. But the long years of delay in the international judicial process have made many people sceptical wondering whether the truth will ever come out.

Others believe that the constant vulnerability of Lebanon's political system means that stability is more important than justice. They question whether the tribunal process and the risks it entails are worth it.

There are also Lebanese - many of them Hezbollah supporters - who reject the tribunal outright, seeing it as a tool of Israel and the West to discredit enemies such as Syria and Hezbollah.

The newly installed government of Najib Mikati is well aware of the divergent views. And with Hezbollah a dominant force in the new government, handling the issue is going to be an early test of the new prime minister's political skills.

On Thursday, Lebanon's state prosecutor Saeed Mirza confirmed that he had received the indictments and four arrest warrants from an STL delegation in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his government would deal "responsibly and realistically" with the UN indictment, while "bearing in mind that these are accusations and not verdicts".

"All suspects are innocent until proven guilty," Mr Mikati told a news conference.

But the BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones in Beirut says the new prime minister is in a difficult position.

With Hezbollah now a strong force in the new Lebanese government, it is difficult to see how any arrests could be made, our correspondent says.

Thirty days

In a policy statement, the government said it would "follow the progress of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon... as long as it does not negatively affect Lebanon's stability and civil peace."

Continue reading the main story February 2005: Rafik Hariri is killed in a bombing in BeirutApril 2005: Syrian troops leave Lebanon after 29 years amid international pressure, despite Damascus denying any role in the killingJune 2007: UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) createdApril 2009: The STL orders the release of four Lebanese generals detained in 2005October 2010: Hezbollah urges all Lebanese to boycott the UN inquiry January 2011: Hezbollah forces collapse of government led by Saad Hariri, Rafik Hariri's son, after he refuses to stop co-operating with the tribunalHezbollah has denied always any role in the assassination. The group claims the tribunal is a plot involving the United States, Israel and France, and the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has threatened to cut the hand of anyone who tries to arrest Hezbollah members.

Saad Hariri - himself a former prime minister - described the indictment over his father's case as a milestone for the country.

"After many years of patience, of struggle... today, we witness a historic moment in Lebanese politics, justice and security," he said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency.

He urged Lebanon's new Hezbollah-dominated government to live up to its international obligations.

Hezbollah forced the collapse of Saad Hariri's government in January after he refused to stop co-operating with the tribunal.

Mr Mikati has previously said that he would strive to uphold Lebanon's international obligations, but that he was also mindful of his responsibilities when it came to the country's stability.

According to tribunal officials, Lebanon now has 30 days to serve out the arrest warrants.

If the suspects are not arrested within that period, the STL will then make public the indictment and summon the suspects to appear before the court.

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