The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has said that its Trial Chamber has given notice that it will deliver its judgment in the Ayyash et al. case in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s Feb. 2005 assassination in public session.
The public session will be held in mid-May 2020, the STL said in a statement.
“In the filing they issued, the Judges stated that they would specify the precise date of the public pronouncement of the judgment as soon as possible,” it added.
The Tribunal also announced that it submitted its eleventh annual report to the United Nations secretary-general and to the Lebanese government.
The report details the STL’s activities from March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020, its objectives for the coming year and highlights the achievements of the four organs: Chambers, Office of the Prosecutor (OTP), Defense Office and Registry.
“Specifically, one key milestone was the confirmation of an indictment and commencement of the pre-trial phase in the Ayyash case,” said the statement.
“This marked the beginning of proceedings in relation to three other attacks within the Tribunal’s jurisdiction,” perpetrated on October 1, 2004, June 21, 2005 and July 12 of the same year, against Marwan Hamade, Georges Hawi and Elias el-Murr, respectively.
“The new case led to the creation of a second Trial Chamber dedicated to proceedings in this case, which determined that proceedings could be conducted in absentia,” it added.
