Head of STL Defence Office issues statement

NNA - 18/01/2011 François Roux, Head of Defence Office for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, issued a statement clarifying that accused persons will have fair and effective representation in the future.

"The Defence Office takes note of the press releases issued by the Registrar and the Prosecutor, announcing the filing of an indictment.

If the indictment is confirmed by the Pre-Trial Judge, the Defence Office wishes to draw attention to the fact that, since its establishment, it has put into place procedures that will allow future accused persons to be represented by counsel of their choice, in accordance with the rules of the STL. In the ensuing legal debate, the Defence Office will ensure that all the necessary means are made available to the defence teams so as to afford them the indispensable equality of arms with the Office of the Prosecutor. This equality of arms obviously includes the time that will be required to prepare an effective defence.

The Defence Office, which is an independent organ of the Tribunal, requests that there be no speculation at this stage, either with regard to the identity of the suspects, or to their possible guilt, or to the starting date of the proceedings.

For further information, please contact Mr. Joeri Maas, Defence Office Coordinator, Office number: +31 (0) 70 800 3595, Email maas@un.org For general information about the STL, please contact the STL Press Office at stl-pressoffice@un.org