UK Support to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon

Written statement to Parliament
Organisation: Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Delivered on: December 10, 2013
The Foreign Secretary William Hague has updated Parliament on the UK's contribution to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
The Foreign Secretary William Hague:
I am pleased to announce that the UK intends to make a voluntary contribution of £undefined million to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
The UK is committed to supporting security, stability and justice for the people of Lebanon. This contribution to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is a signal of our steadfast support for its work to end the climate of impunity for political assassinations in Lebanon. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Rt Hon Hugh Robertson MP, is in Lebanon this week to reinforce these points.
International justice is central to foreign policy. It is essential for securing the rights of individuals and states, and for securing peace and reconciliation. Through the International Criminal Court, and the separate international tribunals, we are working to make clear that those responsible for the most serious crimes will be held to account. Our support to the institutions of international justice is an important part of our efforts to reduce conflict and promote stability worldwide.

STL Media Advisory - Trial date announced for the Ayyash et al. case

Leidschendam, 10 December 2013 - The Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has scheduled the start of trial in the case of Ayyash et al. for Thursday 16 January 2014. This decision has been made after consulting the parties to the case at the Trial Chamber's last public hearing.
The trial will commence at 09:30 (CET) with opening statements by the Prosecutor, the Legal Representatives of the Victims participating in the proceedings, as well as opening statements, if any, for the Defence.
The Trial Chamber has also announced that there will be a Pre-Trial Conference starting at 10:30AM (CET) on Thursday 9 January 2014.
Accreditation details for both the trial and the Pre-Trial Conference will be sent to members of the press in due course.
 

STL announces postponement of trial to January 14

Mon 02 Dec 2013

NNA - The Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced in a statement Monday the postponement of the trial till January 14.

STL Trial Chamber to hold a second Pre-Trial conference

Leidschendam, 26 November 2013 - The Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will hold a second Pre-Trial Conference on Monday 02 December in preparation for the start of the trial in the Ayyash et al. case.

The Pre-Trial Conference, which will be public, will begin at 2 PM (Central European Time). The Trial Chamber may decide to go into closed session if confidential matters need to be discussed.

This Pre-Trial Conference is to further prepare for the start of trial on 13 January 2014. It follows a previous one held on 29 October 2013.

The hearing can be followed on the STL website with a 30-minute delay in Arabic, English and French.

Trial Chamber holds its first pre-trial hearing

Oct 29 2013 - The Trial Chamber convened today for the first Pre-Trial conference to take place at the STL. The Presiding Judge, David Re, opened the public hearing by stating that it is the intention of the Trial Chamber to start trial on 13 January 2014. He also called on the parties to cooperate with the Trial Chamber so that it will be able to meet the start of trial expeditiously. However, Judge Re noted that the Trial Chamber is now seized of 12 outstanding motions, which may potentially have an impact on the date that trial begins. In the meantime there will be other Pre-Trial conferences, with the next hearing expected next month.
The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) was asked to outline how they will they present their case in court. The OTP stated that it intends to present three "chapters". The first relating to what happened in and around the area of the explosion on 14 February 2005. The second will focus on the preparation of the bombing, the purchase of the vehicle used in the attack, and the acts and attempts to falsely attribute the attack. In the third part of their case, the OTP will present evidence attributing responsibility to the four accused. Chapters 2 and 3 will proceed "in tandem" as they are based on call data records and are thus, according to the OTP, clearly linked.
Turning to exhibits and witnesses the OTP said that it is in the second stage of reviewing its lists – a process which will "significantly" reduce their number. It also stated that its opening statement on 13 January 2014 will be complete within two days. The Prosecutor's representative in court indicated that they intend to submit the evidence of a large number of witnesses in writing.
Presiding Judge Re noted that the most significant of the 12 pending motions before the Trial Chamber is a request by the Defence for a stay of the proceedings. The Defence counsel said that their lack of readiness is due to "difficulties getting cooperation from the Lebanese authorities". Defence counsel for Mr. Badreddine claimed they are not ready for trial in the present conditions for many reasons, including the volume of the OTP's evidence. The Defence counsel for Mr. Sabra noted the importance of the outstanding filings including the request for a stay of the proceedings. Defence counsel for Mr. Oneissi also expressed their concerns regarding the volume of disclosed evidence. Defence counsel for Mr. Ayyash submitted the views of all Defence teams on the indictment against the fifth accused Mr. Hassan Habib Merhi – arguing that the indictment against Mr. Merhi, which was confirmed in July, may have an impact on the start of trial, especially if the Prosecution intends to request that this case be joined with Ayyash et al.
The Legal Representative for Victims said he will be ready for trial, adding that he wishes to make an opening statement on the first day of trial and intends to have 8-10 victims present in the courtroom for opening speeches. Both these requests were granted by the Trial Chamber.

Pre Trial Judge transfers the complete Ayyash et al. case file to Trial Chamber

Leidschendam, 28 October 2013 – The Pre-Trial Judge completed the transfer of the entire Ayyash et al. file, containing the evidence and all other documents that relate to the case. The Trial Chamber will now continue to prepare for the start of trial, which is scheduled tentatively for 13 January 2014.
The indictment against the four accused— Salim Jamil Ayyash, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra – was confirmed in June 2011.
STL judges decided in 2012 that the Tribunal can try the accused in their absence, which is permissible under Lebanese Law. The four accused remain at large, but the Lebanese authorities have an ongoing obligation to search for, arrest and transfer the accused to STL custody.
According to the Tribunal's rules, the Pre-Trial Judge is required to submit a complete file in order to allow the Trial Chamber to be seized of the case. A publicly redacted version of the confidential report accompanying the transfer of the case will be available in due course. It is now for the Trial Chamber to confirm a final date for the start of trial.
The transfer of the case file is a significant development in the proceedings of the Ayyash et al. case and it marks the start of the transition from the pre-trial to the trial phase. During trial, the Prosecution, Defence
Counsel and the Legal Representatives of the Victims will present their arguments before the judges of the Trial Chamber.
A public hearing will be held tomorrow, on 29 October, by the Trial Chamber judges to discuss matters related to the preparation of trial.

STL requests that the Lebanese authorities take further steps to advertise new accused

Beirut, 11 October 2013 – Representatives of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon delivered today posters of Hassan Habib Merhi to the Lebanese authorities for the purpose of public advertisement. Mr. Merhi is accused of being involved in the 14 February 2005 Beirut attack.

According to the Tribunal's rules, the Lebanese authorities are requested to advertise the poster in the media to notify the public and to call on the accused to surrender to the Tribunal. The information given to the Lebanese authorities includes the biographical details of Mr. Merhi along with two identifying photographs.
The STL Prosecution's case and charges against Mr. Merhi are outlined in the publicly redacted version of the indictment.
 
A high resolution of the poster can be found on the STL Flickr account.