Hariri Tribunal Seeks Help from Lebanon Neighbors
Readers Number : 29
08/05/2009 The head of the court created to try the killers of Lebanon's Rafiq Hariri said Friday he wanted a deal with countries in the region to simplify the surrender of suspects.
"I have already prepared a draft agreement on judicial cooperation which should be offered to all the countries of the region: Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Israel," Antonio Cassese said.
The Italian judge heads the tribunal created to try those responsible for the 2005 car bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 other people. The tribunal currently has no suspects in custody since ordering the release last week of four pro-Syrian generals held by Lebanon for nearly four years without charge.
The accord envisaged by Cassese would allow prosecutors to interview witnesses in the mentioned countries, to have suspects summoned to The Hague for questioning, and facilitate the transfer of accused persons. It aims to find a way round the fact that the national laws of some countries prevent them from surrendering suspects without an extradition treaty.
It would also be submitted to countries like France, the United States and Argentina that have large Lebanese communities, Cassese said. "That does not mean that we expect there is a suspect or witness or fugitive (there)," said the judge, at the seat of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at Leidschendam near The Hague.
He added that "probably, many countries will never accept" the agreement, and may prefer to work with the tribunal on a case-by-case basis which would be "less quick, but not impossible". He hoped to hand drafts of the deal to ambassadors in The Hague in the next few weeks and finalize its negotiation and ratification by December.
Cassese said he would visit Beirut in June or July, after the Lebanese parliamentary elections, for a courtesy call on the new government and talks with lawyers and judges about the tribunal's rules and procedures.
Mehlis Insists: Detention of Four Generals Was Legal!
Readers Number : 53
08/05/2009 Former head of the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) Detlev Mehlis insisted on Friday that the arbitrary detention of the four Generals over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was legal when he left his post.
Knowing that the detention was arbitrary and without charges, the former IIIC head claimed that his recommendation to the Lebanese judicial authority to arrest the four Generals was based on the legal system adopted in Lebanon, Germany and France, which allows taking suspects into custody to prevent them from fleeing.
Mehlis went on to say to claim that the detention of the four Generals, who were released last week after four years of an arbitrary detention, was not only based on the testimony of Mohammad Zuhair Siddiq, but other witnesses, in addition to the "evidence" found in the houses of the four generals. "The IIIC would have retracted its decision to detain the General if it proved to be wrong," he added.
He also said he thought that the investigation process would finish in one year, adding that if it was on the right track, the case would have already been closed.
Madsen: Cheney Had Death Squad, Killed Hariri & Hobeika
Mehlis..The German Fox Who Hunts His Prey At Any CostReaders Number : 29
08/05/2009 The head of the court created to try the killers of Lebanon's Rafiq Hariri said Friday he wanted a deal with countries in the region to simplify the surrender of suspects.
"I have already prepared a draft agreement on judicial cooperation which should be offered to all the countries of the region: Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Israel," Antonio Cassese said.
The Italian judge heads the tribunal created to try those responsible for the 2005 car bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 other people. The tribunal currently has no suspects in custody since ordering the release last week of four pro-Syrian generals held by Lebanon for nearly four years without charge.
The accord envisaged by Cassese would allow prosecutors to interview witnesses in the mentioned countries, to have suspects summoned to The Hague for questioning, and facilitate the transfer of accused persons. It aims to find a way round the fact that the national laws of some countries prevent them from surrendering suspects without an extradition treaty.
It would also be submitted to countries like France, the United States and Argentina that have large Lebanese communities, Cassese said. "That does not mean that we expect there is a suspect or witness or fugitive (there)," said the judge, at the seat of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at Leidschendam near The Hague.
He added that "probably, many countries will never accept" the agreement, and may prefer to work with the tribunal on a case-by-case basis which would be "less quick, but not impossible". He hoped to hand drafts of the deal to ambassadors in The Hague in the next few weeks and finalize its negotiation and ratification by December.
Cassese said he would visit Beirut in June or July, after the Lebanese parliamentary elections, for a courtesy call on the new government and talks with lawyers and judges about the tribunal's rules and procedures.
Mehlis Insists: Detention of Four Generals Was Legal! Readers Number : 53
08/05/2009 Former head of the International Independent Investigation Commission (IIIC) Detlev Mehlis insisted on Friday that the arbitrary detention of the four Generals over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was legal when he left his post.
Knowing that the detention was arbitrary and without charges, the former IIIC head claimed that his recommendation to the Lebanese judicial authority to arrest the four Generals was based on the legal system adopted in Lebanon, Germany and France, which allows taking suspects into custody to prevent them from fleeing.
Mehlis went on to say to claim that the detention of the four Generals, who were released last week after four years of an arbitrary detention, was not only based on the testimony of Mohammad Zuhair Siddiq, but other witnesses, in addition to the "evidence" found in the houses of the four generals. "The IIIC would have retracted its decision to detain the General if it proved to be wrong," he added.
He also said he thought that the investigation process would finish in one year, adding that if it was on the right track, the case would have already been closed.
Madsen: Cheney Had Death Squad, Killed Hariri & Hobeika
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