Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Lebanon judge begins transfer of Hariri case to new UN tribunal

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A Lebanese judge on Wednesday ordered the transfer of documents related to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri to a UN tribunal created to investigate and try suspects in the killing. Judge Sakr Sakr's order comes in response to a request issued last month by the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) that Lebanese authorities "defer to the Tribunal's competence" by turning over the results of the Lebanese investigation and a list of all persons detained in connection with the 2005 assassination. Sakr's order also lifts arrest warrants for four generals held since 2005 in connection with the case, though they will remain in jail in Lebanon pending an STL decision. STL registrar Robin Vincent said in February that it plans to ask the Lebanese government to transfer the generals to the tribunal. Under UN Security Council Resolution 1757, which established the tribunal, STL assumed exclusive jurisdiction over the case after making the request. In March 2008, lead prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said he believed a criminal network was behind the assassination. The investigation into the assassination has been extended past its original anticipated end date and expanded to cover other assassinations in the country. Several reports from the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC), also headed by Bellemare, have implicated Syrian officials in Hariri's death.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 09, 2009 (boomark / email).