Judges at the UN-backed court in The Hague, Netherlands, yesterday said they had no evidence that Syria and the Hezbollah leadership were directly involved in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri 15 years ago.
“The trial chamber is of the view that Syria and Hezbollah may have had motives to eliminate Mr Hariri and some of his political allies,” presiding judge David Re said at a hearing broadcast online. “However, there was no evidence that Hezbollah leadership had any involvement in Mr Hariri’s murder and there is no direct evidence of Syrian involvement in it.”
Known as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the court was delivering a ruling yesterday after postponing the announcement for two weeks after a massive blast in Beirut on Aug. 4 wiped out the nation’s main port and heavily damaged surrounding neighborhoods in the capital, killing more than 170 people.
The suspects are four members of Hezbollah, the powerful Shiite group backed by Iran that has denied involvement in the case and vowed never to hand over the accused.
The fifth suspect, a commander, was killed in Syria fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s troops.
The proceedings could force a national reckoning on the role of Hezbollah after this month’s devastating explosion had already turned the spotlight on its influence over Lebanon’s fractured politics.
Critics have rounded on the political elite — including Hezbollah — for the corruption and mismanagement that left thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate at the dock for years despite repeated safety warnings.
The group has also come under heavy international pressure, with US sanctions squeezing its sources of funding. It is blacklisted by the US and Gulf countries as a terrorist group.
Whether the court will officially name Hezbollah as the party behind the killing or stop at convicting individuals remains to be seen.
“The justice that will be served should pave the way to lay the foundation for a just and equitable deal among Lebanon’s communities,” said Sami Nader, head of the Beirut-based Levant Institute. “Hezbollah has had an upper hand in all aspects of life in the country and it’s time to change that through a transition.”
Hariri, a four-time prime minister and billionaire, was the face of Beirut’s multibillion-dollar reconstruction following the end of the 15-year civil war in 1990, becoming the most prominent Sunni figure in the country.
However, under Syria’s tutelage that began following the bloody sectarian war, Hariri grew vocal against al-Assad’s policies in Lebanon.
On Feb. 14, 2005, Hariri was killed by a bomb in Beirut composed of about 1,000kg of TNT. It sent shock waves across the world since he had close ties with the likes of former French president Jacques Chirac and the Saudi royal family.
Critics of Syria’s presence in Lebanon blamed al-Assad for Hariri’s killing. Massive protests that began a few days after the assassination ultimately led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops.
The February explosion was followed by a series of killings and attempted assassinations of journalists and lawmakers, as well as military figures.
The court consists of a mix of international and Lebanese judges. It has charged the four Hezbollah members with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.
One of them is additionally accused of intentional homicide of Hariri and 21 others who were killed in the blast by using explosive materials.
The judges said the evidence against the three charged as accomplices was insufficient.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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