Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Deadline for victims to file applications to participate in the trial: 31 October 2011

Leidschendam, 13 September 2011 - By Order dated 8 September 2011, the Pre-Trial Judge, Daniel Fransen, ruled that victims' applications to participate in the trial relating to the attack of 14 February 2005 should, barring exceptional circumstances, be filed before 31 October 2011. This deadline for filing the participation requests is aimed in particular at allowing those persons who having been granted the status of a victimA person who has suffered physical, material or mental harm as a direct result of an attack within the Tribunal's jurisdiction participating in the proceedings, to make known "their views and concerns" from the start of the pre-trial stage of the case.
The Victims' Participation Unit of the RegistryThe Registry is one of the four organs of the STL. It is responsible for those functions which support the Court as a whole, including its management and administration. It provides administrative and operational support to the Judges, Prosecutor, and Head of the Defence Office. of the Tribunal wishes to take this opportunity to recall that the victims of the attack of 14 February 2005 who suffered physical, mental or material harm may submit a requestIn a criminal law context, this refers to a petition by a party to a case, either in writing or orally, expressing a desire for the court to have a specific request granted or action carried out to participate in the proceedings as a victim by completing the application form available on the Tribunal's website.
A Lebanese telephone line has been specially set up in order to reply to victims' questions.
To contact the Victims' Participation Unit, please call + 961 (0) 45 38 150 or e-mail stl-victims@un.org

A public service announcement by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

Monday, 12 September 2011
Arrest warrants have been issued for four individuals involved in the 14 February 2005 attack.
The accused are Mr. Salim Jamil Ayyash, Mr. Hussein Hassan Oneissi, Mr. Assad Hassan Sabra, Mr. Mustafa Amine Badreddine (also known as Mustafa Youssef BADREDDINE, Sami ISSA or Elias Fouad SAAB)
The charges relate to various crimes including the conspiracy to kill former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others as well as the attempted homicide of 231 persons. The full account of the charges can be found on the Tribunal's website.
The Tribunal's President, Judge Antonio Cassese, reminds the accused of their right to participate in the proceedings. By participating, the accused can fully defend themselves against the charges and evidence presented against them.
The proceedings will be conducted according to the highest international standards. The Tribunal's Judges will never convict an accused unless guilt is established beyond reasonable doubt.
The Lebanese people – and especially the victims of this attack – deserve to know the truth about what happened on 14 February 2005.
Source: STL Press Release