Saad Hariri: We know the truth, accept the court’s ruling, and are waiting for "justice to be implemented."

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon condemns the main accused in the Hariri assassination case

  • Judges of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the assassination of the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. A.F.B.

  • Hariri: The court's decision to convict one of the four defendants showed that it is "not politicized." A.F.B.

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Yesterday, the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon condemned a member of the Lebanese "Hezbollah" group for plotting to assassinate the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, and ruled that there is insufficient evidence that the other three defendants were involved in the bombing and acquitted them. For his part, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri considered that the International Court had revealed the "truth", declaring in the name of his family and the families of the victims "acceptance" of the verdict.

The court judges said that "they have an unquestionable conviction" that the evidence showed that the main defendant, Salem Jamil Ayyash, was in possession of "one of the six cell phones used in the attack."

"The evidence also proved Ayyash's affiliation with (Hezbollah)," said Judge Micheline Brady, while reading the 2,600-page verdict.

The other three defendants are believed to be members of Hezbollah as well.

But the judges said that they found no evidence of the involvement of the leadership of "Hezbollah" or the Syrian government in the attack, which killed 21 people.

The judge, David Rhee, said earlier: “The court believes that Syria and (Hezbollah) may have had motives to eliminate Mr. Hariri and his political allies, but there is no evidence that the leadership of (Hezbollah) had any role in the assassination. Hariri, and there is no direct evidence of Syria’s involvement in the matter. ”

The ruling comes at a time when the Lebanese are still suffering the consequences of the massive explosion, which killed 178 people this month, and a devastating economic collapse.

The assassination of Hariri led to what was, at the time, the worst crisis in Lebanon since the civil war, which led to the withdrawal of Syrian forces, and set the stage for a confrontation between competing political forces for years.

The verdict was initially expected to be issued earlier this month, but was postponed after the Beirut port explosion.

The investigation and trial process in absentia for the four Hezbollah members took 15 years, and cost nearly one billion dollars. The sentence will be executed at a later time, but Ayyash may face a sentence of life imprisonment or acquittal.

DNA evidence shows that the attacker, a suicide bomber, has not been identified.

Prosecutors used cell phone recordings to prove that the defendants, namely: Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Asad Hassan Sabra and Hussein Hassan Oneissi, carefully monitored Hariri's movements in the months preceding the attack, to determine its timing.

However, court-appointed lawyers denied the existence of physical evidence linking the defendants to the crime, and demanded their acquittal.

For his part, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said yesterday that the International Court, which issued its verdict in the case of the assassination of his father, Rafik Hariri, revealed the "truth", declaring in the name of his family and the families of the victims "acceptance" of the verdict.

"The court has ruled, and we are in the name of the family of the martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and on behalf of the families of the martyrs and victims we accept the court’s ruling, and we want justice to be done," Hariri said at a press conference held yesterday in Leidschendam, where the court is located near The Hague, adding: "We all knew the truth today," The justice that we want to be implemented, no matter how long it takes.

Hariri considered that the court’s decision to convict one of the four defendants showed the court's "high credibility", as it was "not politicized."

He said, "What is required of him to sacrifice today is (Hezbollah), which has become clear that the execution network is from its ranks, and they believe that for this reason they will not be caught by justice and will not be punished by them."

He stressed: "We will not rest until the punishment is carried out," adding that "the Lebanese will not accept, after today, that their country is a hotbed of killers."

Hariri considered that “it has become clear to everyone that the goal of the terrorist crime is to change the face of Lebanon, its system and its civilized identity,” adding that “the importance of this historical moment today is the message to the perpetrators and planners of the terrorist crime, that the time for using political crime without punishment is over.”

• The court has convicted Salim Ayyash for the assassination of Hariri, and acquitted three of the defendants in the case.

• Hariri assassination court: There is no evidence of direct involvement by Syria or the leadership of "Hezbollah".

• The court: The main defendant was a member of "Hezbollah" and used a phone related to the attack.

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