|
|
2 mrt 2012
Prosecutor 'issues new indictment over killing of Hariri'
By Laila Bassam
BEIRUT (Reuters) -- The prosecutor of the UN-backed tribunal investigating the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri has issued a new indictment adding a fifth name to a list of suspects in the 2005 attack, a Lebanese security source said on Friday.
The source said the fifth person was a military member of the militant group Hezbollah and that it is possible that a sixth person, also from Hezbollah, could be added to the list.
Last year the prosecutor issued an indictment against four fugitive members of Hezbollah. The Shiite Muslim group denies any role in killing Hariri, a billionaire Sunni Muslim politician, and says the suspects will never be handed over to the court near the Hague which it says is politically motivated.
The long-running investigation into the killing of Hariri raised sectarian tensions in Lebanon, contributing to the collapse of his son Saad al-Hariri's government a year ago.
Warrants for the arrest of the four men were issued in June but Lebanon later told the court it had been unable to track any of them down. The tribunal said last month it would go ahead with a trial in absentia.
The suspects were named as Mustafa Amine Badreddine, a senior Hezbollah figure and brother-in-law of slain Hezbollah commander Imad Moughniyeh, as well as Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati said two weeks ago he expected a new indictment to be issued by the end of February, when prosecutor Daniel Bellemare was replaced by Canadian jurist Norman Farrell.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=464680
Prosecutor 'issues new indictment over killing of Hariri'
By Laila Bassam
BEIRUT (Reuters) -- The prosecutor of the UN-backed tribunal investigating the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri has issued a new indictment adding a fifth name to a list of suspects in the 2005 attack, a Lebanese security source said on Friday.
The source said the fifth person was a military member of the militant group Hezbollah and that it is possible that a sixth person, also from Hezbollah, could be added to the list.
Last year the prosecutor issued an indictment against four fugitive members of Hezbollah. The Shiite Muslim group denies any role in killing Hariri, a billionaire Sunni Muslim politician, and says the suspects will never be handed over to the court near the Hague which it says is politically motivated.
The long-running investigation into the killing of Hariri raised sectarian tensions in Lebanon, contributing to the collapse of his son Saad al-Hariri's government a year ago.
Warrants for the arrest of the four men were issued in June but Lebanon later told the court it had been unable to track any of them down. The tribunal said last month it would go ahead with a trial in absentia.
The suspects were named as Mustafa Amine Badreddine, a senior Hezbollah figure and brother-in-law of slain Hezbollah commander Imad Moughniyeh, as well as Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati said two weeks ago he expected a new indictment to be issued by the end of February, when prosecutor Daniel Bellemare was replaced by Canadian jurist Norman Farrell.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=464680
- 4 dec 2010
'STL asks Israel for crime scene photos'
Posters of Lebanon's slain Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri (R) and his son and successor Saad Hariri
The US-backed UN court probing the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri has asked for images Israeli had taken from the crime scene.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)'s investigative committee requested from Tel Aviv surveillance images, captured on February 14, 2005, when a massive car bombing in the Lebanese capital of Beirut killed the Former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri alongside more than 20 other people, Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar reported.
Quoting a former member of the committee, the newspaper said, the request had been made under prosecutor Detliv Mehlis -- who was replaced in 2006.
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft violate the Lebanese airspace on an almost daily basis. The spy drones transmit pictures and footage to Tel Aviv.
In an August speech, the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah's Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah presented evidence proving that Israel had masterminded Hariri's assassination.
The televised address featured a video captured by Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as recorded confessions by Israeli fifth columnists, substantiating that Tel Aviv had been behind the killing.
Tel Aviv has so far reportedly refused to provide the committee with information about the attack. However, Al Akhbar revealed last week that Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had admitted to Tel Aviv's involvement in the tribunal.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/153887.html
4 mar 2012, 12:51 , Respect -
Maria 6 dec 2010
'Hezbollah will react to STL indictment'
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah
Hezbollah says it will oppose any indictment by the US-sponsored tribunal charged with investigating former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri's assassination back in 2005.
Hezbollah will react to any indictment from the US-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) which is aimed at incriminating the Resistance, Hassan Fadlallah, Hezbollah's MP in the Lebanese parliament, said on Sunday.
The warning comes while the STL is expected to announce its initial findings regarding Hariri's murder on February 14, 2005 in a massive bomb explosion in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
The tribunal, which is heavily funded by the United States, is widely viewed as misled by false testimonies from Western-backed elements against Hezbollah and Syria.
The issue has caused a rift among Lebanese factions as calls for the prosecution of the false witnesses and those masterminding the attempt to mislead the probe into Hariri's killing fall on a deaf ear.
Lebanon's pro-Western factions, including Prime Minister Saad Hariri's al-Mustaqbal party, accuse Hezbollah and the Syrian government of involvement in Hariri's murder.
The incumbent prime minister, however, admitted early in September that the allegations about his father's death were erroneous and politically motivated.
In a televised speech in August, Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan presented footage taken by Israeli drones of the routes frequented by late Hariri prior to his assassination.
The resistance movement later handed in the evidence it had unveiled to STL.
But the tribunal said the evidence Hezbollah delivered through the Lebanese prosecutor general's office was "incomplete," and requested that the Lebanese authorities provide the remaining material -- without specifying what evidence was missing.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/154129.html
4 mar 2012, 12:51 , Respect -
Maria 8 dec 2010
'STL violates Lebanese constitution'
Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad
The Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah says the US-backed tribunal probing the murder of the former Lebanese premier has violated the country's constitution.
Criticizing the court's delay in presenting its findings, the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc Mohammad Raad said Wednesday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) serves the interests of outside powers which threaten Lebanon's sovereignty.
Raad argued that the establishment of the tribunal in 2006 during Foad Saniora's premiership is in violation of both the country's constitution and international law.
The STL is currently probing the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri who was killed in a massive car bomb explosion in the capital Beirut in 2005. Twenty-two others were also killed in the blast.
The Hezbollah MP also criticized the US-backed court for failing to allay the resistance movement's concerns and ignoring the group's evidence supporting Israel's role in the killing.
"We waited for a response and despite the promises, we have not seen a reply," Raad told a press conference to address the legal aspect of the STL.
The Hezbollah official also slammed the tribunal for giving immunity to what he called false witnesses, saying the issue undermined the credibility of the probe.
Pointing to unconfirmed reports about the court's findings, the Hezbollah MP said that there were political motives behind the "deliberate" Western and Arab media leaks.
"Why was Syria accused in the beginning and then the course of the investigation was changed? What is Israel's role in the investigation? Does the Court take Israel's statements?," he said.
According to media reports, the STL plans to charge some members of Hezbollah in connection with the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister.
The resistance movement, which has vehemently denied having had any role in the killing, has dismissed the US-backed tribunal as an "Israeli-American project" aimed at undermining Hezbollah and creating divisions in the country.
The court is expected to announce its findings by the end of 2010 but no specific date has so far been set.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/154565.html
4 mar 2012, 12:52 , Respect -
Maria 20 dec 2010
'STL indictment, US-Israeli conspiracy'
Sheikh Naim Qassem
Hezbollah has warned against a politicized indictment by the US-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), but expressed optimism on a Saudi-Syrian solution.
The US-sponsored court was established two years after former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was assassinated in a massive bombing that also killed 25 other people in Beirut on February 14, 2005.
Reports earlier this year indicated the court's intention to issue an indictment against Hezbollah based on false testimony from Western-backed elements, and to accuse the resistance movement of involvement in Hariri's killing, which Hezbollah blames on Israel.
Hezbollah has announced time and again that the solution which addresses the conspiracy of the indictment is the best solution for Lebanon and all the various Lebanese components, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said in an exclusive interview with Press TV.
Sheikh Qassem said the movement's opposition was not because we fear the indictment but because we believe it is in Lebanon's interests that the country not be held hostage to baseless accusations.
On a joint Saudi-Syrian effort to tackle the issue, Hezbollah said the resistance was still optimistic on an Arab initiative to solve the political impasse the tribunal has sparked in Lebanon.
We are in contact with the Syrians and Saudis and we hear positive talk from them, and they tell us they need time. Soon we will witness positive results.
Sheikh Qassem referred to a race between the release of the indictment and the achievement of a solution, saying a settlement in time will be an achievement for Lebanon and will spare everyone the complications which could arise.
If, on the other hand, the indictment is released before a solution is reached, then the conditions would be different and the nature of the situation would be different, he said, without specifying the steps to be taken.
When asked about the role of the US and Israel in the STL indictment, the Hezbollah official said they are very enthusiastic in releasing the indictment as soon as possible.
They believe that the release of the indictment will be a sword put at the neck of Hezbollah and they believe that its repercussions will weaken Hezbollah and hence bring about the circumstances which will enable Israel to benefit more and more, whether it is by issuing threats of war or by launching war.
Sheikh Qassem vowed that an STL indictment would not affect Hezbollah but would strengthen their convictions and views.
"We already view that this tribunal has no judicial or justice standards of justice based upon it performance until now. So we believe that the release of an indictment is an American-Israeli step which we totally reject," he stated.
video on the link below
http://www.presstv.com/detail/156335.html
4 mar 2012, 12:52 , Respect -
Maria 2 jan 2011
'US seeks to bury truth in Hariri case'
A lawmaker from Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc says the US does not want the truth to come out in the case of the former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri's assassination.
"Those in Lebanon who believe America is interested in the truth behind the Hariri murder are wrong," said Hussein al-Moussawi, lawmaker affiliated with the Lebanese resistance movement, on Saturday, Naharnet reported.
Hariri was killed along with more than 20 others in a massive car bombing in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on February 14, 2005.
Washington-sponsored Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) was established about two years later to investigate the incident.
Hezbollah's Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said in July that he had been informed by the slain leader's son and current Prime Minister Saad Hariri that the STL "will accuse some undisciplined [Hezbollah] members." Nasrallah strongly rejected the allegation, warning that the plot was part of "a dangerous project that is targeting the resistance."
However, leading Lebanese daily As-Safir wrote last month about "intensive" pressure that Washington had applied under the slogan "no discussions before an indictment is issued."
Syria and Saudi Arabia have, meanwhile, entered "strenuous negotiations" aimed at preventing Lebanon from plunging into a political crisis on the back of such indictments, the daily reported recently.
"The US policy does not want justice," Moussawi noted.
Speaking on Wednesday, the lawmaker said that there was "significant evidence of the Americans' involvement in the arbitrary indictment expected to be issued."
This, he said, was shown by the remarks made recently by John Bolton, the United States former ambassador to the United Nations, "It is almost certain that prominent Syrian officials and Hezbollah members will be accused" of involvement in the assassination.
"Don't his stances prove that the US administration is the side dictating the work mechanisms of this tribunal and its probe?" the lawmaker asked.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/158208.html
4 mar 2012, 13:06 , Respect -
Maria 16 jan 2011
Hezbollah lashes out at Hariri tribunal
Hezbollah's Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah
Hezbollah's secretary general has called the US-backed tribunal probing the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister as an "American-Israeli project."
In a speech on Sunday night, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said Israel is relying on the tribunal that is trying to indict Hezbollah members.
The US-sponsored tribunal is reportedly about to indict some Hezbollah members in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri -- an allegation which is rejected by the Lebanese resistance movement.
Nasrallah also defended the resignations of opposition ministers, which led to the collapse of Lebanon's unity government on Wednesday.
He said the move was constitutional, adding that the 11 ministers stepped down because the government was incapable of confronting the repercussions of the US-backed tribunal.
According to Nasrallah, the ruling party came to power by buying votes.
Meanwhile, Nasrallah underscored that the opposition cannot keep silent towards a movement that supports false witnesses.
The Hezbollah chief also said Lebanon has found itself in the current crisis due to pressure applied by the US and Israel among other forces.
Saudi Arabia and Syria had unsuccessfully joined hands to pull the country out of the situation. Nasrallah said Washington and Tel Aviv had prevented the joint endeavor from bearing fruit, thus propelling Beirut into the current situation.
"Why did all of this happen? Why did we reach this stage?" he asked.
The Hezbollah leader blamed Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri for the end to the Arab initiative that was an alternative to the tribunal.
"First of all, it is very clear that the Americans and the Israelis rejected from the very beginning, these Arab efforts, these Saudi-Syrian efforts."
They let the joint endeavor continue for some time as they did not suspect it to bear fruit, he said.
However, once they found out that the issues are "heading positively," they intervened "very decisively and they informed the Saudis and Syrians that these efforts cannot continue," Nasrallah asserted.
He also said some Lebanese politicians had a role to play in the stonewalling of the Saudi-Syrian initiative.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/160475.html
Nasrallah: US, Israel pressured Hariri to cancel our deal
Hezbollah secretary-general claims Lebanese PM Saad Hariri backed out on agreement to stop cooperating with international tribunal at the last minute, over pressure from US, Israel.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech Sunday, five days after his organization toppled the Saad Hariri government raising concerns Lebanon was heading towards another civil war.
A day before an international tribunal files an indictment draft on the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, Nasrallah accused Israel and the United States of being behind the investigation and claimed that Prime Minister Saad Hariri backed out of an agreement between the parties which was brokered by Saudi Arabia and Syria.
"We had reached the conclusion that we must withdraw the Lebanese judges, stop Lebanese funding of the tribunal and cancel the agreement between Lebanon and the court," Nasrallah said referring to the agreement. "And the Saudis told us they, as well as Hariri, agree to the three clauses."
Nasrallah claimed that "Hariri traveled to the US to seal the deal but without prior warning said 'Sorry, we can't do it.' We were informed that efforts had suddenly ceased, without prior warning. Who is it that stopped the process?"
Nasrallah further added," It's clear that the US and Israel were against these efforts from the outset…Hariri and his camp – they either never accepted this move and only surrendered to the Saudis or went along with the Saudis but were met by an aggressive US stance. If America tells him 'no' then it's 'no.'
On Saturday, a US news website reported that the international tribunal was slated to indict Iranian spiritual leader Ali Khamenei for giving the order to murder Hariri in february 2005. The report's credibility is unclear.
Also Saturday, the Hezbollah affiliated Al Jadid TV network released an audio tape in which Saad Hariri is heard coordinating what should be done to implicate Syria with the murder with a main witness in the trial. This was recorded shortly after the murder, when Syria was targeted as the primary suspect in the assassination. The suspicion has since been lifted.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4014550,00.html
4 mar 2012, 13:07 , Respect -
Maria 17 jan 2011
'Hariri accused Syria of father's murder'
New TV Hariri leaks 3/3
(10:00) New TV Hariri leaks 3/3.wmv
(Video) Lebanese TV network affiliated with Hezbollah airs tape showing prime minister telling tribunal investigators that Syrian officials are responsible for 2005 assassination of his father.
Hariri blaming Assad?
VIDEO - Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri believed Syria was behind the assassination of his father, according to a taped video aired Sunday by Lebanese network New TV, which is said to be affiliated to Hezbollah.
On the second tape aired that night, Hariri is heard giving a testimony to Lebanon Tribunal investigator Lajmi Mohammad Ali on July 30, 2007.
"If you ask me what happened and why, I think that Assef Shawkat (Syrian President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law) and Maher Assad (the president's brother) had a big role in it," he said.
"In what?" asked Ali, to which Hariri replied: "In the assassination plot and in pressuring Bashar to make the decision to do it."
During the investigation, the Lebanese prime minister recalled that "When President Hafez Assad passed away, I went with my father to pay respects to the mourning family together with Minister Mustafa Tlass (former Syrian defense minister).
"When we arrived Assef Shawkat had already left. Tlass looked at my father and told him, 'May good save Syria from this man,' and it is true," noted Hariri the son.
Hariri's office did not deny the tapes were genuine, but stated in response, "The attempt to instigate between Hariri and those who seek justice for Lebanon is destined to fail."
On Saturday, the Lebanese TV network aired another tape that claimed Hariri briefed one of the tribunal's "false witnesses," and demanded that he dig up material about Syria.
The publication of the tape comes three days after Hassan Nasrallah's Shiite organization dismantled the government headed by Hariri, when 10 Hezbollah ministers resigned.
Their resignation came on the backdrop of Hariri's continuous support for the International Tribunal for Lebanon, which was formed to investigate the assassination of his father, and is allegedly slated to name two to six members of Hezbollah for their involvement in the murder plot.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4014953,00.html
New TV Hariri leaks 1/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYjBJp0_I7c
New TV Hariri leaks 2/3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-fmtSA4sPM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMCyg2ivhg -
Maria 20 jan 2011
Lebanon leader calls Hariri 'corrupt'
Lebanese Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun is shown at the center of a poster also depicting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (L ) and Hezbollah's Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Lebanon's Christian opposition leader Michael Aoun has accused caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri of major corrupt practices.
Speaking on Thursday at a press conference in the capital of Beirut, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement ruled Hariri out as the opposition spectrum's choice of the next premier, saying “he has embezzled billions," Lebanese website Naharnet reported.
After more than a year in office, Hariri was forced to step down as the country's prime minister following the January 12 resignation of more than a third of his 30-member cabinet. The ministers protested that he was being influenced by the United States.
Hariri and the remaining cabinet ministers, however, have retained office on an interim basis at President Michel Sleiman's request until another cabinet is formed.
Aoun also said Hariri has cooperated with false witnesses, who testified to the Washington-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon. STL probes the 2005 assassination of his father and former premier Rafiq Hariri.
"We need a clean cabinet that respects moral laws and legal texts," Aoun said.
The court is said to be preparing to indict in the assassination some members of the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has warned that the potential move is aimed at sowing discord in Lebanon.
The opposition personality also referred to comments by Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud Faisal in which he had warned about division in Lebanon.
Downplaying the prospects, Aoun said, "Those who have an army that can impose division, let them send it."
Lebanon cannot be divided whether Israel and the US like it or not, he said.
"Our crime is that we want a new and clean country."
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/161123.html
4 mar 2012, 13:07 , Respect -
Maria 5 mrt 2011
Lebanon's Cabinet & Tribunal Standoff-Mideast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vRwOKfpvJo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtg6p31zz-8
Lebanon appears to be going through its series of nonstop crises. Lately, the March 14 coalition has refused to take part in the next cabinet headed by Prime Minister designate Najib Mikati. Caretaker premier Saad Hariri has even accused Hezbollah of using their arms to put pressure on Mikati.
In another development, special tribunal for Lebanon prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has started requests to obtain Lebanese documents. How will the next cabinet deal with this highly controversial issue in light of regional transformations?
4 mar 2012, 13:07 , Respect -
Maria 30 juni 2011
'US-backed court implicates Hezbollah'
A Lebanese television station says the US-backed court probing former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri's 2005 assassination has implicated Hezbollah members in the incident.
The controversial Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which has been investigating the deaths for the past five years under the auspices of Washington, submitted a sealed indictment and arrest warrants to the Lebanese government on Thursday.
The Future Television, owned by the victim's son Sa'ad Hariri's Future Movement (al-Mustaqbal), said on Thursday that the indictment had named four members of the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has strictly rejected any involvement in the incident and called the tribunal an “American-Israeli project.”
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/186903.html - 2 juli 2011
'STL part of psywar against resistance'
Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah
The Hezbollah leader says the US-funded Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) was established to turn world public opinion against the resistance and to foment sectarian strife in Lebanon.
Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah made the remarks in Beirut on Saturday night during a televised speech in which he condemned the UN tribunal's decision to issue indictments for four Hezbollah members over the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
The Hezbollah leader rejected the allegations that Hezbollah was involved in the assassination, saying the indictments were premeditated and politicized.
He went on to say that the STL is part of a new US plot to tarnish the image of the popular resistance movement.
He questioned the credibility of the tribunal and said those behind the “politicized” investigation are linked to US and British intelligence agencies.
Israel benefits the most from the US-backed tribunal, he stated.
Nasrallah said the evidence Hezbollah had presented earlier was sufficient to indict Israel for involvement in the attack that killed the former Lebanese prime minister.
On February 14, 2005, a massive bomb blew up the vehicle carrying Rafiq Hariri, killing the Lebanese leader and over 20 other people.
“The tribunal should have investigated the Israeli role in Hariri's assassination,” but it “cooperated with the Israelis instead of questioning them,” he said.
Nasrallah presented new documents indicating that the STL's computers and their documents were not directly sent to The Hague from Beirut, but transferred via Israel.
“The probe should have been carried out by neutral, unbiased people,” while “those behind the probe are linked with US and British intelligence services,” he added, and accused the investigative committee members of ethical and financial corruption.
Nasrallah said the tribunal was “politically motivated from the beginning” and its indictments were based on false witnesses and accusations made by the US and Israel.
“The warrants have been issued against brothers with an honorable history in fighting the occupation.”
“We consider the tribunal an assault on us,” he stated.
“The tribunal is part of the psychological warfare against the resistance,” but the resistance movement is ready to confront any Israeli plots, Nasrallah said.
The STL's investigations should have been confidential but the panel deliberately leaking its decisions to the media to tarnish the image of Hezbollah, he noted.
Nasrallah also accused the Western-backed March 14 coalition of dreaming of inciting sectarian strife in Lebanon and stated that the STL indictments were meant to help pro-Western parties overthrow the Lebanese government.
“A pro-Israel tribunal will not reveal the truth about Hariri's death,” the Hezbollah leader said, recalling how Israelis did not allow anyone to investigate them over the massacre they committed in the West Bank city of Jenin in April 2002.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187262.html
Nasrallah says Israel behind Hariri murder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVePwNgYtn8
Hezbollah’s secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah appeared to present a full case against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon after the latter released its indictment which contained four arrest warrants against four people from Hezbollah.
With videos and documents Nassrallah sought to reveal what he has long described as the true nature of this tribunal: a plot which is out to target the resistance. He pointed out to Israeli involvement in sharing information with the tribunal. This document, he said, showed that 97 computers belonging to the international investigation had passed through Israel. He also focused on the members of this tribunal and what he described as their anti-Hezbollah background, which included this reference to the president of the tribunal Antonio Cassese.
After displaying all this evidence Nasrallah once again expressed his outright rejection of cooperating or accepting any decision by this tribunal.
He went on to rule out the possibility that any side would be able to arrest the four members of Hezbollah, in a message to his Lebanese and foreign opponents:
Nasrallah also said that Hezbollah will deal with this issue responsibly and would not succumb to any sectarian discord which he said was one of the aims of the indictment.
Amal Saad-Ghorayeb, author of the book Hizbu’llah: Politics and Religion, said she believed Hezbollah will follow the same strategy they have been using since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
The March 14th alliance has hailed the release of the indictments as a historic day for Lebanon, while the US and the UN have called on the Mikati government to fully commit to the international resolutions.
http://fwd4.me/05XQ
...Read more 4 mar 2012, 13:13 , Respect -
Maria 6 juli 2011
'STL covering Israel as real criminal'
Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah
Hezbollah has accused a US-backed tribunal probing the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri of refusing to pursue the real criminal.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is covering up Israel as the real killer of Rafiq Hariri, a Press TV correspondent reported.
"The greatest injustice against former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri was to say that Israel would never assassinate Hariri," Nasrallah said.
The Hezbollah leader made the remarks in a speech on the occasion of “The wounded resistance day.”
Nasrallah questioned the credibility of Daniel Bellemare, the prosecutor general of the STL, accusing some investigators, legal experts and key advisers to Bellemare of having connections with the CIA and the Israeli intelligence agency.
Nasrallah also accused the Western-backed March 14 coalition of promoting injustice in the country by not considering Israel as a suspect in the Hariri assassination.
Naim Qassem, deputy leader of Hezbollah, said US-Israel joint efforts to weaken the resistance through the tribunal will fail.
"The resistance (Hezbollah), which has left a mark on history and the present, will not be hindered by the Israeli-American project, the so-called tribunal, which is now behind us, and there is no going back," Qassem said.
The STL last week handed down indictments against four members of Hezbollah, accusing them of playing a role in the 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri.
Nasrallah has rejected the allegations, describing them as injustice.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/187763.html
4 mar 2012, 13:13 , Respect -
Maria 3 aug 2011
UN tribunal probing material received from Hezbollah
Daniel Bellemare -- the chief prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon attends the start of the UN-backed tribunal at The Hague in 2009. Bellemare is investigating the 2005 death of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri
THE HAGUE (AFP) -- The prosecutor of the UN-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 death of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri is probing material provided by Hezbollah, his office said Wednesday.
"The office of the prosecutor is currently examining material hand-delivered by Hezbollah officials to the prosecutor-general of Lebanon on 13 July 2011," the Special Tribunal on Lebanon prosecutor's office said in a statement.
On July 4, prosecutor Daniel Bellemare invited Iranian-backed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to submit information and documents that could assist the tribunal "in its quest for justice."
Nasrallah, in an hour-long televised address on July 2, ruled out the arrest of four Hezbollah suspects, indicted in the investigation into the deaths of Hariri and 22 others in a powerful car bomb blast in Beirut on February 14, 2005.
But Nasrallah claimed to have material including video clips which could assist in the investigation and proposed to send them to the prosecutor.
The statement said Bellemare's office asked for the file on some elements of the investigation Nasrallah offered to provide. It also asked for video material shown during his speech.
"The prosecutor continues to pursue all investigative leads," it added.
On Friday, a tribunal judge confirmed the names of the four wanted Hezbollah men and the charges against them.
Pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen ordered confidentiality around the charges against Salim Ayyash, 47, Mustafa Badreddine, 50, Hussein Anaissi, 37 and Assad Sabra, 34, be dropped.
Badreddine is a brother-in-law of Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh who was assassinated in Damascus in 2008.
Ayyash and Badreddine face among others, charges of "committing a terrorist act by means of an explosive device" and homicide including Hariri's death, while Anaissi and Sabra faced charges of conspiring to commit the same acts.
Interpol has also issued wanted notices for the men.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=410698
...Read more 4 mar 2012, 13:14 , Respect -
Maria 17 aug 2011
'US, Israel plan civil war in Lebanon'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD8YgK8Ffik
Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah
Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah says the US and Israel are trying to cause a civil war in Lebanon by destroying people's coexistence.
In his speech on Wednesday, Nasrallah said Washington and Tel Aviv are laying the foundation for sectarian strife in a bid to ruin the social fabric in Lebanon.
The Hezbollah leader also rejected the US-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) probing the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, saying its indictments lack credibility.
The former Lebanese premier and over 20 other people were killed on February 14, 2005 in massive explosions in downtown Beirut.
The STL, which was authorized by a US-sponsored Security Council resolution in 2007, was set up to look into the deadly incident.
The tribunal issued indictments and arrest warrants in June 2011 for four men identified by Lebanese officials as Hezbollah members.
Nasrallah said on Wednesday that the tribunal has refused to consider other scenarios such as Israel's involvement in the murder.
He also accused media outlets and figures associated with the March 14th movement of jumping to conclusions, adding that they make accusations against Hezbollah without any basis.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194411.html
4 mar 2012, 13:14 , Respect -
Maria 12 sept 2011
'Hezbollah innocent in Hariri murder'
Rafiq Hariri died when an explosives-laden van hit his convoy on the Beirut waterfront in February 2005.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Miqati has rejected allegations that Hezbollah was involved in the assassination of the country's former premier Rafiq Hariri.
Urging the Lebanese resistance movement to appoint lawyers to defend four of its members accused of involvement in the 2005 case, Miqati said that he was convinced of Hezbollah's innocence.
“What pushes me to call on Hezbollah to follow this course of action is (my) conviction that Hezbollah is innocent in the (2005) assassination of former PM Rafiq Hariri,” Miqati told al-Jadeed television on Sunday night.
He also said that the issue of false witnesses in the Hariri case must be followed up and that Lebanon's attorney general has been tasked with the responsibility.
Rafiq Hariri and 22 others were killed in February 2005 in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, when a huge bomb went off near his motorcade.
In July, the US-backed tribunal investigating Hariri's murder issued its indictment and accused four Hezbollah members of taking part in the attack. The tribunal linked the four to the killing by circumstantial evidence obtained from phone records rather than direct evidence.
Beirut has not been able to arrest the men, who will be tried in absentia.
Hezbollah has repeatedly denied any role in Hariri's assassination, saying the indictments had been politically motivated. The resistance movement has also blamed media outlets and figures linked to the March 14 Movement for spreading false statements against it.
Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly described the tribunal as being full of "financial and moral corruption," and part of an American-Israeli plot targeting the resistance.
"When you read the text released by the tribunal, you will not find any substantial evidence, not a single piece of direct evidence is included," Nasrallah said.
"The only thing the tribunal relies on in is the mobile phone records, and even that is circumstantial. It doesn't even prove that any of these alleged suspects made any of these calls or even owned these phones," he added.
Hezbollah has also accused Israel of being behind the bombing.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/198723.html