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Trial Opens Into Killing of Lebanese Prime Minister Trial Opens Into Killing of Lebanese Premier, Absent the Accused
(about 11 hours later)
LONDON — Almost nine years after Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, was killed by a truck bomb, an international tribunal opened hearings into the case on Thursday in a courtroom in the Netherlands with lawyers and judges clustered around a mock-up of the crime scene on the Beirut waterfront.LONDON — Almost nine years after Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, was killed by a truck bomb, an international tribunal opened hearings into the case on Thursday in a courtroom in the Netherlands with lawyers and judges clustered around a mock-up of the crime scene on the Beirut waterfront.
The prosecution likened the result of the attack to a “man-made hell.” The prosecution likened the 2005 attack to a “man-made hell.”
But notably absent from the Special Tribunal on Lebanon, in a former spy agency office on the outskirts of The Hague, were the four accused who have been shielded from arrest and prosecution by the powerful Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah that supports President Bashar al-Assad of Syria in the civil war against mainly Sunni insurgents. But notably absent from the Special Tribunal on Lebanon, in a former spy agency office on the outskirts of The Hague, were the four men accused in the killing, who have been shielded from arrest and prosecution by Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese Shiite group, which supports President Bashar al-Assad of Syria in the civil war against mainly Sunni insurgents.
The trial of Assad Hassan Sabra, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Mustafa Amine Badreddine represents the first time that an international tribunal has tried defendants in their absence since the Nuremberg trials after World War II. Even if they are convicted, the four are entitled to a new trial if they are apprehended. The trial of the men — Assad Hassan Sabra, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Mustafa Amine Badreddine — represents the first time that an international tribunal has tried defendants in their absence since the Nuremberg trials after World War II.
The tribunal has spent about $325 million in preparation for the hearings into the attack that killed Mr. Hariri and 22 others on Feb. 14, 2005 in an assassination that convulsed the region and inspired huge protests against Syria’s influence in Lebanon. Even if they are convicted, the men are entitled to a new trial if they are apprehended.
The trial opened under inauspicious circumstances. Even as it began, a car bomb exploded in a northeastern Lebanese town close to the Syrian border, killing three people — the latest in a series of apparently sectarian attacks. The trial itself has come to be seen as a new fault line in the region’s confrontations as the bloodletting of Syria’s civil war spills into Lebanon, exacerbating deep-seated divisions that characterize much of the Middle East. The tribunal has spent about $325 million in preparation for the hearings into the attack that killed Mr. Hariri and 22 others on Feb. 14, 2005, an assassination that shook the region and prompted huge protests against Syria’s influence in Lebanon.
The prosecution said on Thursday that Mr. Hariri had been traveling in a convoy of six vehicles and was in an armor-plated Mercedes. Some of the cars were fitted with jamming devices to prevent the triggering of explosives by mobile phone signals. The presence of those electronic devices supported the argument that the explosives were detonated manually, the prosecution said. As the trial began on Thursday, a car bomb exploded in a northeastern Lebanese town close to the Syrian border, killing three people — the latest in a series of apparently sectarian attacks. The trial itself has come to be seen as a new fault line in the region’s confrontations as Syria’s civil war spills into Lebanon, exacerbating deep-seated divisions that characterize much of the Middle East.
The court was shown CCTV images of a white Mitsubishi van moving across Beirut as the convoy set off toward the St. Georges Hotel building on the seafront. The prosecution said that on the day of the attack Mr. Hariri was traveling in an armor-plated Mercedes in a convoy of six vehicles.
The van is seen moving slowly past the building shortly before the convoy drives by, traveling in the same direction. Then the prosecution showed a photograph of the scene of the blast and the huge crater it created, measuring around 35 feet across and six feet deep. Some of the cars were fitted with jamming devices to prevent the triggering of explosives by cellphone signals. The presence of those electronic devices supports the argument that the explosives were detonated manually, the prosecution said.
The court was shown closed-circuit television images of a white Mitsubishi van moving across Beirut as the convoy set off toward the St. Georges Hotel on the seafront.
In the images, the van moves slowly past the building shortly before the convoy drives by, going in the same direction. The prosecution then showed a photograph of the scene of the blast and the huge crater it created, measuring about 35 feet across and 6 feet deep.
“The attackers used an extraordinary amount of high explosives, far more than was required to kill their main target,” the prosecution said. “It is not that the perpetrators did not care if they killed their fellow citizens. They intended to do so.”“The attackers used an extraordinary amount of high explosives, far more than was required to kill their main target,” the prosecution said. “It is not that the perpetrators did not care if they killed their fellow citizens. They intended to do so.”
The suicide bomber was “blown into tiny pieces” by the blast, the prosecution added.The suicide bomber was “blown into tiny pieces” by the blast, the prosecution added.
The attack took place between the St. Georges Hotel and the adjacent Byblos building, in “a man-made canyon” that concentrated the force of the blast, the prosecution said. The result was described by one prosecutor, Alexander Milne, as a “man-made hell.”The attack took place between the St. Georges Hotel and the adjacent Byblos building, in “a man-made canyon” that concentrated the force of the blast, the prosecution said. The result was described by one prosecutor, Alexander Milne, as a “man-made hell.”
The aim, said Norman Farrell, the lead prosecutor, was “to send a terrifying message and to cause panic among the population of Beirut and Lebanon.” Another prosecutor, Norman Farrell, said the aim was “to send a terrifying message and to cause panic among the population of Beirut and Lebanon.”
Using records from more than 50 cellphones, prosecutors plan to describe in detail how the accused meticulously tracked Mr. Hariri’s movements for months and procured the van that detonated as his convoy left Parliament en route to his residence. Using records from more than 50 cellphones, prosecutors described in detail how the four men meticulously tracked Mr. Hariri’s movements and procured the van that detonated as his convoy left Parliament en route to his residence.
Indeed, as the hearings unfolded on Thursday, the prosecution went into painstaking detail about the location and duration of calls as the accused conspirators communicated among themselves in what was depicted as close surveillance of Mr. Hariri for weeks and months before the bombing. The prosecution went into painstaking detail about the location and duration of calls in what was depicted as close surveillance of Mr. Hariri for months before the bombing.
With the date of the bombing approaching, the prosecution said, the suspects purchased several new phones as the conspiracy widened and the level of surveillance increased “dramatically.” With the date of the attack approaching, the prosecution said, the suspects bought several new phones as the level of surveillance increased “dramatically.”
“Wherever the prime minister went” in Lebanon, the prosecution said, cellphones linked to the conspirators were used close by. “Wherever the prime minister went” in Lebanon, the prosecution said, cellphones linked to the four men were used close by.
The prosecution contends that the four absent defendants are supporters of Hezbollah, whose leaders have dismissed the court in The Hague as evidence of a broader Western conspiracy against their organization and urged Lebanese to withhold cooperation with it. The defendants face charges including premeditated murder and terrorism. If convicted they could face sentences of life imprisonment. The prosecution contends that the absent defendants are supporters of Hezbollah, whose leaders have dismissed the international court as evidence of a broader Western conspiracy against their organization, and have urged Lebanese people not to cooperate.
The defendants face charges including premeditated murder and terrorism. If convicted, they could face sentences of life imprisonment.
In Beirut, news photographs showed supporters of Mr. Hariri gathering under a huge billboard bearing his portrait and the word “Justice.”In Beirut, news photographs showed supporters of Mr. Hariri gathering under a huge billboard bearing his portrait and the word “Justice.”
Hundreds of prosecution witnesses are expected to be called and the trial will take months and possibly much longer. Hundreds of prosecution witnesses are expected to be called, and the trial will take months, possibly much longer.
Saad Hariri, the son of Rafik Hariri and also a former prime minister, was in the courtroom on Thursday along with other family members, The Associated Press reported.
Their presence was “in itself a proof that our stance, since the first moment and every moment, was and will continue to be seeking justice, not revenge, punishment and not vengeance,” he told reporters.