Pre-Trial Judge orders the release of documents to Mr El Sayed

Leidschendam/12^th May 2011 - The Pre-Trial Judge, Daniel Fransen, has ordered that the tribunal's Prosecutor release more than 270 documents to Jamil El Sayed.
 

Judge Fransen ruled that Mr El Sayed would receive some of the documents in the possession of the STL Prosecutor very soon. A large majority of these will be disclosed to Mr El Sayed, whilst others can only be inspected by his counsel.
 

Judge Fransen also ruled that these documents can only be used for 'legitimate purposes'. The use of these documents must respect the presumption of innocence, the right of the defence and the right to privacy of third parties.
 

Mr El Sayed was one of four generals who was detained by the Lebanese authorities in connection with the assassination of the former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and others. He was released in April 2009, just weeks after the establishment of the STL, following an order by Judge Fransen.
 

Mr El Sayed has claimed that he was wrongly detained by the Lebanese authorities on the basis of libelous denunciations. He has requested documents related to this claim. Mr El Sayed asked the STL for access to this evidence so that he can pursue civil claims in national courts.
 

This process has taken some time. First the Prosecutor identified and listed several hundred documents in his possession and then the Pre-Trial Judge has individually reviewed each of them before reaching his decision.
 

Judge Fransen has ordered the Prosecutor to file a report by June 13^th that explains how he has completed the obligations required in this decision.

This is an ongoing process. If the Prosecutor finds new documents during his investigation he may be required to disclose them. The Pre-Trial Judge has also ordered the Prosecutor to review some additional documents, which may be released to Mr El Sayed in the future.
 

Judge Fransen's decision was issued in French. Translations of the ruling into Arabic and English will follow in due course.

Source: STL Press realease.

Guidance to the media following the amendment of the indictment

Leidschendam, 6 May 2011 - The STL Prosecutor has announced that he has amended the indictment that was initially filed on January 17^th 2011 to include "substantive new elements". This is the second amendment to that indictment.
 

Whilst there is no fixed timeframe for the review of the indictment and the supporting material the Pre-Trial Judge is working to complete this process as quickly as possible following this amendment. 
 

To ensure that the review is fair and just the large volume of supporting material must be examined carefully and comprehensively. It is anticipated that this will be completed in the coming months.
 

The Pre-Trial Judge can confirm or dismiss the indictment in its entirety, or alternatively reject some counts and confirm others. The indictment and the accompanying evidence remain confidential and any disclosure of its contents might amount to contempt.

 

For further information please contact the STL spokesperson, Marten Youssef.

Prosecutor Daniel A. Bellemare files an amended indictment

Leidschendam, 6 May 2011 – The Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Daniel A. Bellemare, filed today an amended indictment, replacing the indictment of 11 March 2011, to include substantive new elements unavailable until recently. 

 

The Prosecutor does not intend to make further amendments to the indictment, unless ordered to do so by the Pre-Trial Judge. Other indictments could, however, be filed in the future if warranted by the evidence.

 

"The amendment of an indictment or the filing of new indictments is and will continue to be guided solely by the evidence uncovered by the ongoing investigation", the Prosecutor stated.  

 

The original Indictment was filed on 17 January 2011 in connection with the attack on former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and others on 14 February 2005.  

The STL Hosted Nearly 30 Lawyers From Lebanon.

STL Media Advisory:
Leidschendam, 20 April 2011 – The Special Tribunal for Lebanon has hosted nearly 30 lawyers from Lebanon and provided them with briefings on the work of the court. The legal professionals, who travelled to The Hague for a seminar on the development of international justice, met officials from all the organs of the tribunal. They were given a tour of the courtroom and were able to ask questions about the work of the STL.

The three-day event explored international justice, especially the challenges and successes that jurists face in this field. The lawyers also visited the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), as well as meeting representatives from various non-governmental organisations in The Hague including the Coalition for the International Criminal Court and the International Bar Association.

The event was organised by the Lebanese NGO Justice without Frontiers in close cooperation with the Outreach and Legacy Section of the STL.

STL holds a confidential hearing regarding Sayyid's request.

NNA - 19/4/2011 In a statement by STL Media Advisory, it said that the STL Pre-Trial Judge, Daniel Fransen, has held today a confidential and ex parte hearing relating to the request by General Jamil Sayed to obtain documents that relate to his file and which he believes are in the possession of the Prosecutor of the STL.

The hearing examined which of these documents the Prosecutor should hand over to Mr El Sayed. The Pre-Tria Judge will rule on this matter in due course, STL press release concluded.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon has appointed Marten Youssef as spokesperson

Leidschendam, 5 April 2011 - The Special Tribunal for Lebanon has appointed Marten Youssef as spokesperson.

Marten who was born and raised in Egypt, is a Canadian citizen.  He has worked as a journalist in the Middle East and Africa, as well as in Canada.  During his three years in Abu Dhabi, Marten was the senior courts and justice reporter for The National newspaper.  Most recently he has worked for The Globe and Mail and The Canadian Press.  Marten studied political science at university, followed by graduate studies in journalism.

As the STL spokesperson Marten will be the point of contact for all members of the Lebanese and Arab press.  He will speak on behalf of Chambers, the Defence Office and the Registry.

For questions from the international media, relating to Chambers, the Defence Office and the Registry, please contact the Chief of Public Affairs, Crispin Thorold.

For all questions relating to the work of the Office of the Prosecutor please contact the OTP spokesperson, Sophie Boutaud de la Combe.

Cassese issues practice direction on Defence Office role.

STL Media Advisory:
Leidschendam, 31 March 2011 - The President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Judge Antonio Cassese, has issued a practice direction on the role of the head of the Defence Office. This is a guideline for conduct during court proceedings and it was written because of the novelty of the defence office. The STL is the only international tribunal with a defence office, that has the same status as other organs like Chambers, the Office of the Prosecutor and the Registry.