Special Tribunal for Lebanon

Special Tribunal for Lebanon
  • Arabic: المحكمة الخاصة بلبنان
  • French: Tribunal spécial pour le Liban
Logo of the Tribunal
Map
52°04′48″N 4°23′28″E / 52.080°N 4.391°E / 52.080; 4.391
Established2009
JurisdictionInternational
LocationLeidschendam, Netherlands
Coordinates52°04′48″N 4°23′28″E / 52.080°N 4.391°E / 52.080; 4.391
Composition methodAppointment by the United Nations Secretary-General
Authorised byResolution 1757
Judge term length3 years
Number of positions9
Websitehttp://www.stl-tsl.org/
President
CurrentlyIvana Hrdličková
Since2015
Vice-President
CurrentlyRalph Riachi
Since2009
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The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), also referred to as the Lebanon Tribunal or the Hariri Tribunal, is a tribunal of international character[1][2] applying Lebanese criminal law[3] under the authority of the United Nations to carry out the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for 14 February 2005 assassination of Rafic Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, and the deaths of 21 others,[4][5][6] as well as those responsible for connected attacks.[7]

The Tribunal officially opened on 1 March 2009[8][9] and has primacy over the national courts of Lebanon.[10] The Tribunal has its seat in Leidschendam, on the outskirts of The Hague, Netherlands, and a field office in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Its official languages are Arabic, French and English.[11] The Tribunal is unique among international criminal tribunals in that it may hold trials in absentia,[12] and it is the first to deal with terrorism as a distinct crime.[13] The Tribunal's eleven judges, a combination of Lebanese and international judges, are appointed by the UN Secretary-General for a renewable term of three years.[14]

The Tribunal's mandate was initially three years.[15] However, there is no fixed timeline for the judicial work to be completed.[16] The mandate has subsequently been extended to allow the Tribunal to complete its work.[17]

The verdict was eventually issued on 18 August 2020,[18] which was originally set on 7 August, but postponed following the 2020 Beirut explosion.[19]

  1. ^ "Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon", Preamble, 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  2. ^ "United Nations Security Council Resolution 1757 (2007)", Annex - Agreement between the United Nations and the Lebanese Republic on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Preamble, 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  3. ^ "Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon", Article 2, 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  4. ^ "STL-11-01/T/TC: The Prosecutor v. Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra Redacted Version of the Amended Consolidated Indictment". STL. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  5. ^ Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (PDF), 10 June 2007, retrieved 21 March 2011
  6. ^ Wetzel, Jan Erik; Yvonne Mitri (2008). "The Special Tribunal for Lebanon: A Court "Off the Shelf " for a Divided Country" (PDF). The Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals. 7: 81–114. doi:10.1163/157180308X311110. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  7. ^ "Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon", Article 1, 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  8. ^ "Security Council Press Statement on Special Tribunal for Lebanon". United Nations Security Council, SC/9606-L/3139. 3 March 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Int'l Tribunal on Hariri's murder starts officially in March". People's Daily Online. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  10. ^ "Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon", Article 4(1), 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  11. ^ "Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon", Article 14, 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  12. ^ "Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon", Article 22, 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  13. ^ Tolbert, David (2014). "Introduction: A Very Special Tribunal". In Alamuddin, Amal; Jurdi, Nidal Nabil (eds.). The Special Tribunal for Lebanon: Law and Practice. Oxford University Press. pp. 1–9. ISBN 978-0-19-968745-9.
  14. ^ "Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon", Article 9(3), 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  15. ^ "United Nations Security Council Resolution 1757 (2007)", Annex - Agreement between the United Nations and the Lebanese Republic on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Article 21(1), 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  16. ^ Follath, Erich (23 May 2009). "Breakthrough in Tribunal Investigation: New Evidence Points to Hezbollah in Hariri Murder – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – International". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  17. ^ "United Nations Security Council Resolution 1757 (2007)", Annex - Agreement between the United Nations and the Lebanese Republic on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Article 21(2), 30 May 2007, retrieved 8 November 2016
  18. ^ "Rafik Hariri tribunal: Verdict due over assassination of Lebanon ex-PM". BBC. 18 August 2020.
  19. ^ "Lebanon Hariri tribunal judgement postponed after Beirut blast". Arab News. 5 August 2020.