Media Advisory - Lebanon’s 012 contribution

Leidschendam, 1 July 012 – The Special Tribunal for Lebanon can confirm that it has received the funding from the Lebanese Government for the 2012 Budget.

The full amount 26,927,270 Euros, amounting to 9 per cent of the Tribunal's budget, was transferred to the Tribunal's bank account this morning by the Lebanese Government.

The STL thanks the Government of Lebanon for its 2012 contribution and its ongoing commitment to the work of the Tribunal.

Victims' legal representatives sworn in

Leidschendam, 5 June 2012 –The lead legal representative and the two co-legal representatives designated by the Registrar to represent the victims of the 14 February 2005 attack in the Ayyash et al. proceedings have been sworn in.
The three legal representatives will represent the 58 people who were granted the right to participate as victims in the proceedings by the Pre-Trial judge.
The victims' legal representatives signed a declaration that they will exercise their duties "with integrity and diligence, honorably, freely, expeditiously and conscientiously". They also committed to "scrupulously respect professional confidentiality and the other duties imposed by the Code of Professional Conduct for Counsel Appearing Before the Tribunal".
"This designation underlines a milestone in victim participation in the STL proceedings," said Alain Grellet, the Chief of the Victims' Participation Unit of the Registry of the STL.
Biographies of the victims' legal representatives will be available on the STL website in due course.
The Victims' Participation Unit can be reached at + 961 (0) 45 38 150 or by e-mail at stl-victims@un.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
 

Media Advisory - Trial Chamber hearing on STL’s jurisdiction

Leidschendam, May 12 - The Trial Chamber has scheduled a hearing on June to hear arguments on the jurisdiction of the STL and the legality of its creation.

The defence counsel representing the four accused - Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra -filed motions recently challenging the legality and jurisdiction of the Tribunal.

In their motions, the Defence argued that the STL was established unlawfully and applies justice selectively.

It is common practice in international tribunals for the Defence to challenge the jurisdiction of the courts. The Prosecution has until June to file a response to the Defence motions.

The landmark hearing will be another step towards trial in the case of Ayyash et al.

The Trial Chamber ruled in February that the four accused would be tried in their absence. The STL is the only existing international tribunal that can hold trials in absentia, since its statute includes elements of both Lebanese and international law.

Lawyers for the victims of the February 05 attack have been invited by the Trial Chamber to file observations on the challenges to the STL's jurisdiction. The Tribunal's Registrar appointed legal representatives for the victims participating in proceedings last week.

Victims’ participation

Leidschendam, 9 May 2012 – The Pre-Trial Judge has determined that 58 of the 73 victims of the 14 February 2005 attack who applied to do so can now participate in the Ayyash et al. proceedings.

Judge Daniel Fransen has reviewed the 73 victim applications he has received, 15 of which were deemed to be incomplete. The PreTrial judge has said that he would require additional information before granting the incomplete applications.

Having thoroughly reviewed the applications of the 58 successful applicants, Judge Fransen has found no reason to divide the victims into different groups. In his decision, Judge Fransen said that he is "required to ensure that the proceedings are not unduly delayed, and to take any measures necessary to prepare the case for a fair and expeditious trial."

According to the Tribunal's Rules, it is now up to the Registrar to designate a legal representative to represent the victims during trial, and as many co-counsel as the Registrar feels is appropriate to assist the legal representative.

Although Judge Fransen's decision is public, the names and identities of the victims will continue to remain confidential unless and until there is a further court order to the contrary.

Victims of the 14 February 2005 attack who have not yet applied to participate in the proceedings can still apply through the Tribunal's Victim Participation Unit. All future applications will also be subject to review by the Pre-Trial Judge.

Media Advisory – Pre-Trial Judge sets deadline for challenging Tribunal's jurisdiction

Leidschendam, 6 April 012 – The Pre-Trial Judge has set a timeline for the submission of preliminary motions challenging the jurisdiction of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

In order to ensure the preparation of a fair and expeditious trial, the Pre-Trial Judge, Daniel Fransen, convened a status conference on 2 April 012.. Judge Fransen decided that any preliminary motions challenging the Tribunal's jurisdiction must be filed by May 012..

The deadline to submit other preliminary motions will be decided in due course.

Foreign Secretary announces funding for international criminal tribunals

26 March 2012

Foreign Secretary William Hague announced additional UK funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

In a written statement to Parliament he said:
"In line with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Strategic Framework priority of Safeguarding Britain's national security by countering terrorism and working to reduce conflict, and as a demonstration of the Government's continued support for international justice as a key pillar of our foreign policy, I am pleased to announce additional UK funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

We will provide £1 million to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, taking the UK's total contribution to £3.3 million since 2009.  This contribution underlines the UK's steadfast support for the Special Tribunal which is key to holding to account of those guilty of serious crimes and ending the climate of impunity for political assassination in Lebanon.  The UK is, and will remain, committed to working towards Lebanon's continued sovereignty and stability.

We will contribute a further £750,000 to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, taking the UK's total contribution to around £4.4 million since 2006.  This demonstrates the UK's continued commitment to Cambodian reconciliation and development and bringing justice to the victims, and families of victims of the horrific atrocities and deaths of around 2 million Cambodians under the Khmer Rouge.

Finally, we will make available an additional £600,000 for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, taking the UK's total contribution to around £27.6 million since 2002.  This will help allow the Special Court to complete the trial of Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia.  The Special Court will be the first court to deliver judgement on a former head of state related to charges of war crimes for actions he took while in office.  

We believe there should be no impunity for the most serious crimes at the international level. The effective prosecution of those who commit these crimes is fundamental to preventing such crimes, which in turn is vital in the development of communities which are more stable and prosperous.  I take this opportunity to applaud the important continuing work of all of the international tribunals."

President temporarily suspends “criminal association” proceedings

Leidschendam, 16 March 2012 – The STL President has decided to temporarily suspend proceedings to define the crime of "criminal association" in an order today. This follows the Pre-Trial Judge's rejection of the Prosecutor's request to amend the indictment.

The Prosecution had filed a confidential request to amend the indictment on 8 February and sought to add a count of "criminal association" to the indictment. The Pre-Trial Judge then asked the Appeals Chamber to define "criminal association", which is an offence under the Lebanese Criminal Code (article 335).

The Pre-Trial Judge later rejected the Prosecution's request in a confidential decision on 13 March. The rejection was based on procedural grounds.

The President of the STL has now asked the parties and the Defence Office to make submissions on whether the Appeals Chamber should continue with the process of defining "criminal association".