Syrian regime, Hezbollah main players in Hariri’s assassination: Prosecution/المحكمة الدولية: بدرالدين العقل المدبر والنظام السوري في صلب مؤامرة اغتيال الحريري..المتهمون ينتمون إلى حزب الله… و3 آلاف قرينة إدانة
Syrian regime, Hezbollah main players in Hariri’s assassination: Prosecution المحكمة الدولية: بدرالدين العقل المدبر والنظام السوري في صلب مؤامرة اغتيال الحريري المحكمة الدولية: المتهمون ينتمون إلى حزب الله… و3 آلاف “قرينة” لإدانة قتلة رفيق الحريري الحريري من لاهاي: من ارتكب جريمة الاغتيال سيدفع الثمن وما يهمنا التركيز على الاستقرار
Najia Houssari/Arab News/September 11, 2018 12:18
The trial of four Hezbollah suspects in the assassination of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafiq Hariri, killed in 2005, enters the final stretch on September 11, 2018. Thirteen years after billionaire Hariri was killed by a huge suicide bomb in Beirut, the court in a suburb of The Hague will hear closing prosecution and defense arguments in the long-running case. Hezbollah has refused to turn over the four indicted men — Salim Ayyash, Hussein Oneissi, Assad Sabra and Hassan Habib Merhi — for the trial which began in January 2014
The people of Lebanon watched the live broadcast on Tuesday of the beginning of the third phase of the special UN tribunal into the 2005 assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, held in The Hague. Prime Minister Saad Hariri attended the trial, alongside relatives of the victims of the bombing that killed his father, minister Bassel Fliehan and 21 others.
The tribunal’s first-tier chamber in Leidschendam saw the unfolding of the last chance for the prosecution, the suspects’ defense team, and the affected families’ attorneys to submit their arguments. This process is expected to last between 10 days and two weeks. Spokesperson of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), Wajed Ramadan, told Arab News that this phase might even continue for 21 days. She said: “The prosecutor expects the prosecution to take two to three days to present its argument as it will seek to prove the strength of the evidence submitted against the four suspects, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Hussein Hassan Anisi and Assad Hassan Sabra, and that it is beyond a reasonable doubt.
“On the other hand, the defense attorneys appointed by STL’s defense office will recall in their arguments their claims that call into question the evidence presented by the prosecutor’s office during the trial’s previous years, especially the telecommunications data on which the indictment was based, and each of the suspects’ attorneys will be given one day to present their arguments. “The affected families’ attorneys will present the extent of the harm they suffered as a result of the crime and will be allowed two and a half hours to present their cases.”Ramadan added: “During the hearings, the prosecutor is given the opportunity to respond to the arguments, and the prosecution as well as the attorneys of the affected families and the suspects will be given the opportunity to respond to the prosecutor.
“At the end of these hearings, the tribunal’s judges will be isolated for consideration, and this may continue until after the end of this year because they have to review thousands of pages of documents before issuing their verdict.”The tribunal canceled the trial of the Hezbollah military leader, Mustafa Badreddine, who was among the five people accused in the indictments, after he was killed in Syria. His name, however, continues to be repeated during the trial’s proceedings and in some of the testimonies as one of those who planned the stalking of Hariri and then carried out the assassination.
The prosecution team said that Badreddine was a senior official in Hezbollah, with military experience that qualified him to lead Hezbollah’s forces in Syria and manifested in the way he carried out the assassination of Hariri, pointing out that “Badreddine is the mastermind behind the assassination.”The prosecution also highlighted that “Salim Ayyash led a six-person assassination unit targeting Rafik Hariri” and that “the evidence condemning the suspects is stark.” It has argued that “the Syrian regime is at the heart of the plot to assassinate Rafik Hariri,” pointing out that the “green network” (the telecommunications network) that led the assassination, is affiliated with Hezbollah. The prosecution stressed that “the evidence condemning the suspects accused of assassinating Rafik Hariri is stark,” emphasizing that the explosives used were “intended for military use.”
The prosecutor said: “The evidence proved convincing, strong and objective through the phone calls and their amount. In addition to that, the suspects’ phones stopped operating at the same time, which shows that they planned to carry out the crime.” The attorney of the affected families said: “The assassination took place in an atmosphere characterized by a refusal of Syrian presence in Lebanon.”Later, Saad Hariri described the first hearing as a difficult day for him, as the son of Rafik Hariri, and a difficult day for Lebanon. He said: “Rafik Hariri and all the martyrs of March 14 have given their lives to protect Lebanon and not for its destruction. We have, therefore, demanded from the beginning justice and the truth, which we believe protect Lebanon. We never resorted to revenge because Rafik Hariri was never a man who would seek revenge but a man of justice, and we are following in his footsteps.”
Hariri added: “With time, people become calmer, and when they see the facts, they think more calmly. For me, the most important thing is Lebanon, and as the martyred prime minister always said, no one is greater than this country, and this is our real policy.”He hoped that those who committed the crime would pay for it sooner or later and said: “We want to protect Lebanon.”When asked about the prosecution’s claim that Hezbollah or one of its leaders had made the decision to assassinate his father, Hariri replied: “I do not know what the final decision will be. Let’s wait. At the end, we live together in the same country and want to live together for the benefit of this country. A man in my position today must put his emotions aside.”
Ramadan explained that the five judges would need so much time to consider the evidence before coming to a verdict because they have to review 3,128 pages of evidence submitted by the three legal teams, including details of the communications networks used by the suspects, in addition to the testimony of 307 witnesses summoned by the prosecution, the defense and the affected families’ attorneys.She said: “The court is due to move to its fourth phase, which is intended for pronouncing verdict in a public session, followed by another public session in which the sentence is determined for every suspect if found guilty.”“After that there is a 30-day time limit for the defense team to appeal to the second-tier chamber without passing the pre-trial judge. Meanwhile, the tribunal asks the Lebanese authorities to extradite the people it considers guilty of involvement in the crime, and this is the fifth phase.” Ramadan highlighted that during every phase of the trial, the Lebanese state was obliged to search for the four suspects and hand them over to the tribunal. “Every month, the Lebanese authorities sent a report to STL’s president of its ongoing efforts in searching for the suspects,” she said.
Closing Sessions in Hariri’s Trial Begin in The Hague
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 11/18/The closing sessions in the trial of Rafik Hariri’s killers kicked off Tuesday at the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague. The hearings commenced with the closing arguments of the Prosecutor and are to be followed by the Legal Representatives of Victims and the Defense of the four Accused. According to an STL statement, “the Prosecution may then respond and the Defense may reply.”A number of participating victims will attend the hearings, including Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, the son of Rafik Hariri. As instructed by the Trial Chamber, the Prosecutor and the Legal Representatives of Victims filed their final briefs on July 16, 2018, and the Defense teams on August 13, 2018. The trial had opened on January 15, 2014 with the opening statements by the Prosecutor, the Legal Representatives and Defense counsel. The Prosecution started the presentation of its case which ended on February 7, 2018. The Legal Representatives presented the victims’ case between 28 August and 7 September 2017. Counsel for Hizbullah suspect Hussein Hassan Oneissi elected to present a Defense case and called two witnesses who testified on 14 and 15 May, and 5, 6 and 7 June 2018, and tendered documents for admission into evidence. Counsel for Oneissi closed their case on June 28, 2018. “The presentation of the closing arguments concludes the trial hearings in the Ayyash et al. case but is not yet a finding of guilt or innocence,” the STL noted. “The Judges will then withdraw to deliberate and will issue a judgment in due course. After hearing all the evidence and deliberating the Judges will issue a reasoned judgment that will find an accused ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty,’” it added. “A finding of guilt may be reached only when a majority of the Trial Chamber is satisfied that guilt has been proved beyond reasonable doubt (Rule 148). If a trial chamber finds an accused guilty it will subsequently decide on the sentence. This will then conclude the trial phase which is one of the five phases of the proceedings (investigation and indictment, pre-trial, trial, appeal and enforcement of sentence when applicable),” the STL clarified in its statement. In its “Final Trial Brief” published on the court’s website, the Prosecution explains the links between Hizbullah and the supposed assassination squads and draws attention to meetings and phone calls between senior Hizbullah official Wafiq Safa and former Syrian security chief in Lebanon Rustom Ghazaleh prior to the February 2005 attack. Explaining the link between political tensions in Lebanon and the activities of the four alleged mobile phone networks that were supposedly used in the assassination, the report says “significant steps taken by the opposition coalition and ultimately by Hariri, their powerful ally, to resist, defy and challenge the Syrian regime’s hegemony corresponded with a reaction of the four phone networks.”
Hariri Says to Deal with STL Findings as ‘Responsible Official’ even if Hizbullah, Syria Convicted
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 11/18/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced Tuesday that he would deal with the findings of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon as a “responsible official” even if the court eventually convicts Hizbullah and Damascus of murdering his father, ex-PM Rafik Hariri. “There is no doubt that this day is difficult for me, as the son of Rafik Hariri. Rafik Hariri, and the other martyrs of March 14, fell to protect Lebanon, not to destroy it. Therefore, from the very beginning, we demanded justice because we believe that justice and the truth protect Lebanon,” Hariri told reporters in The Hague after attending the first session of STL’s closing arguments in the Rafik Hariri assassination case. “This is what we always wanted and we never resorted to revenge. Rafik Hariri was not a man of revenge but of justice and we will continue on this path,” Hariri vowed.
He said that “within a few months, the verdict will be issued, and justice will be achieved.”“This is the justice that we have always demanded although it may have taken some time,” Hariri added, stressing that “the most important thing is the country.”“Lebanon witnessed many assassinations, but the truth was never revealed. This time, the truth will be revealed hopefully. Those who committed this crime will pay the price, sooner or later,” the PM-designate went on to say. Told that the STL Prosecution has said that some in Hizbullah’s leadership, and not just members, might be involved in the crime, Hariri answered: “I am just like you, I don’t know what the final verdict will be. Let us wait. We want to live together in the country, we want the interest of the country.”“You remember that I came here a few years ago and said things that surprised some people, because I believe that in Lebanon, everyone should be represented. Let us not get ahead of things.”Asked whether he will extend his hand to Hizbullah even if it gets convicted of involvement in his father’s assassination, Hariri said: “When one is in my position, one has to put one’s feelings aside.”sked whether the STL’s developments would have an impact on the Cabinet formation process, the PM-designate said: “I say that if everyone stops being greedy about the ministerial portfolios, the government will be formed.” “Regarding the Syrian regime, I have no doubt that it had a huge problem with Martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. I want to deal with this issue as a responsible official who has the responsibility to protect the country and the Lebanese people. We recall that Martyr Hariri sought during all his life Lebanon’s stability, calm, prosperity and reconstruction. Thus, there are things that hurt, but when in a position of responsibility, we have to look at the country’s interest,” Hariri added. Hariri then said in English: “The coming ten days are dedicated to the closing statements of the Prosecution and the Defense and we will be waiting within a few months for the final decision of the judges. Then we will take our responsibility as a government, to see how to move forward. We always insist on the stability and security of Lebanon.”Asked about the possible repercussions of the verdict, Hariri said: “We faced many challenges during the last years. But I believe in God and in the fact that those who committed this crime will be punished sooner or later. This may take some time, maybe more than expected, but we have faith in God.”Hariri had earlier on Tuesday announced that he is keen on “truth” and “justice” so that the killers of Rafik Hariri can be “identified” and “punished.”“We are keen on the truth to identify those behind the assassination of Rafik Hariri and all the martyrs who fell in defense of Lebanon, and we are keen on justice, so that the killers can receive their punishment,” Hariri said in an Instagram post. Hariri’s statement was accompanied by a poster of him and his late father. The PM-designate had arrived in The Hague on Monday evening to attend the closing sessions.
He is accompanied by caretaker ministers Marwan Hamadeh and Ghattas Khoury and former MP Bassem al-Sabeh.
STL Prosecution: Syrian Regime at Core of Hariri Assassination Conspiracy
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 11/18/The Prosecution of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced Tuesday that the Syrian regime was at the heart of the conspiracy that killed ex-PM Rafik Hariri. At the beginning of its closing arguments at the STL’s headquarters in The Hague, the Prosecution also described slain Hizbullah military commander Mustafa Badreddine as the mastermind of the assassination operation. The Prosecution noted that Badreddine was a senior Hizbullah official and that his military expertise reflected itself in the modus operandi of Hariri’s assassination. It also said that Hizbullah suspect Salim Ayyash led a six-person assassination squad and that there is irrefutable evidence that condemns the four Hizbullah suspects. Moreover, the Prosecution added that the “green phone network” that oversaw Hariri’s assassination fully belonged to Hizbullah. Prosecutors said their case — which relies on mobile phone records allegedly showing the suspects conducting intense surveillance of Hariri from just after his resignation until minutes before the blast — was “circumstantial” but “compelling.” Prosecuting counsel Nigel Povoas said the huge scale of the attack “undoubtedly had a political purpose” linked to Hariri’s opposition to Damascus’ long involvement in Lebanon. “The scene was plunged into darkness and horror, cars were eviscerated, incinerated and on fire, people were on fire. Lebanon itself was plunged into darkness and horror, that was exactly what was intended by the attack,” he told the court. “Hariri was perceived by those who supported Syrian control as a severe threat to their interests and security, a proxy of the West,” he told the court. “This is the reason, the non-personal motive, behind the crime.” Prosecutors said the suspects had been feted in Tehran and Damascus, Hizbullah’s backers. In its “Final Trial Brief” published on the court’s website, the Prosecution had explained the links between Hizbullah and the supposed assassination squads, drawing attention to meetings and phone calls between senior Hizbullah official Wafiq Safa and former Syrian security chief in Lebanon Rustom Ghazaleh that preceded the February 2005 attack. Explaining the link between political tensions in Lebanon and the activities of the four alleged mobile phone networks that were supposedly used in the assassination, the report says “significant steps taken by the opposition coalition and ultimately by Hariri, their powerful ally, to resist, defy and challenge the Syrian regime’s hegemony corresponded with a reaction of the four phone networks.”
Special Tribunal for Lebanon: A Timeline
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/September 11/18/A U.N.-backed court investigating the 2005 assassination of ex-premier Rafik Hariri hears closing arguments this week, with four Hizbullah suspects on trial in absentia for more than four years. Here is a look back at the killing and efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The assassination
A massive bomb tears through Hariri’s armored convoy as he is on his way home for lunch on February 14, 2005, gouging a crater several meters deep and leaving a dozen flaming vehicles and debris scattered over a wide area. The prime minister and 21 other people, including seven of his bodyguards, are killed and more than 220 other people injured. The blast was caused by a suicide bomber who detonated a small truck full of what prosecutors said were military explosives equivalent to 2.5 tons of TNT. Opposition leaders blame Syria but Damascus denies any role in the killing. Amid a groundswell of domestic and international protests, Syrian troops quit Lebanon on April 26 after a 29-year deployment. Faced with bitter domestic inter-religious divisions, Lebanon asks the United Nations on December 12 to create an international tribunal.
The court
The U.N. Security Council votes on May 31, 2007 to set up an international court to try suspects in the murder. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is the first international court with jurisdiction over the crime of terrorism and the first to try suspects in absentia. Hizbullah refuses to recognize the court, slamming “an aggressive interference in (Lebanon’s) internal affairs.”The STL opens its doors in Leidschendam, a suburb of The Hague, on March 1, 2009, with the identities of its 11 judges, four of them Lebanese, kept secret for security reasons.
The Lebanese government is meant to cover 49 percent of its costs.
The suspects
STL prosecutors file an initial, sealed indictment on January 17, 2011 that does not name suspects. On June 30 it sends sealed indictments and arrest warrants to the Lebanese prosecutor general. The next day Lebanese authorities confirm the identity of four Hizbullah suspects named in the arrest warrants. They are Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra. Hizbullah refuses to hand over the suspects. On February 1, 2012 the court says it will try the four in absentia.The STL confirms on October 10, 2013 the indictment of a fifth wanted suspect, Hassan Habib Merhi.
The trial The trial gets underway on January 16, 2014 with the four Hizbullah suspects in absentia. Although there are international arrest warrants against them, Hizbullah continues to refuse to cooperate with the court and hand them over. Prosecutors say Mustafa Badreddine and Salim Ayyash prepared the attack. Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra are accused of sending a false video to the TV channel Al-Jazeera in which a fictitious group claims responsibility. In February the judges merge the trial of the fifth suspect with that of the four. On May 13, 2016 Hizbullah announces that Badreddine has been killed in an attack in Syria, where the war between the regime, rebels and jihadists has been raging since 2011. On March 7, 2018 the STL throws out a bid to acquit Oneissi of any role in the assassination, judging that the prosecution has sufficient evidence to justify the continuation of his trial. Closing arguments are due to run from September 11 to September 21.
Hariri from the STL: The criminals will pay the price sooner or later, We want justice but not revenge and insist on Lebanon’s stability
Tue 11 Sep 2018/NNA – In a press release by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s Information Bureau on Tuesday, it indicated that Hariri attended this morning the opening of the final hearings of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon at the headquarters of the STL in The Hague.
On emerging, Hariri spoke to awaiting journalists outside the STL, saying, “I came to attend the opening of the final hearings of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, where the Prosecution and the Defense Offices make their closing arguments before the judges issue their verdict in this case.”
“There is no doubt that this day is difficult for me, as the son of Rafic Hariri. Rafic Hariri, and the other martyrs of March 14, fell to protect Lebanon, not to destroy it. Therefore, from the start, we demanded justice because we believe that justice and the truth protect Lebanon. This is what we always wanted and we never resorted to revenge. Rafic Hariri was not a man of revenge but of justice and we will continue on this path,” Hariri asserted. He added: “Other relatives of the victims were also present today. Within a few months, the verdict will be issued, and justice will be achieved. This justice that we have always demanded. It may have taken some time, and maybe with time, one becomes calmer. He sees the facts, and reflects. For me, the most important thing is the country. Like my father used to say, no one is greater than his country.”
“I want to thank all those who worked in this Tribunal, the judges and lawyers,” Hariri went on. “This is the first time in such tribunals that even the accused have defense lawyers. I want to thank the United Nations and all those who helped achieve this Tribunal. Lebanon witnessed many assassinations, but the truth was never revealed. This time, truth will be revealed hopefully. Those who committed this crime will pay the price, sooner or later.”
Q&A:
Question: The Prosecution Office said that some in Hezbollah’s leadership, and not just members, might be involved?
Hariri: I am just like you, I don’t know what the final verdict will be. Let us wait. We want to live together in the country, we want the interest of the country. You remember that I came here a few years ago and said things that surprised some people. Because I believe that in Lebanon, everyone should be represented. Let us not get ahead of things.
Question: When you hear about the relation between Hezbollah and this crime, what do you feel? Do you extend your hand to Hezbollah that is accused of killing Rafic Hariri?
Hariri: When one is in my position, one has to put one’s feelings aside.
Question: Some are linking the Tribunal to the formation of the government and what is happening in the region. What do you say?
Hariri: I say that if everyone stops being greedy about the ministerial portfolios, the government will be formed.
Question: What will be the repercussions of the Prosecution’s arguments and all the proofs in Beirut?
Hariri: These proofs were already known. Now, each office is presenting its final arguments to the judiciary so that the judges give their final verdict.
Question: Sayyed Nasrallah said, “Do not play with fire with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.” Today, what is your stance after hearing that Martyr Premier Rafic
Hariri represented a dangerous threat to the Syrian interests in Lebanon and that this is the political background of the crime?
Hariri: Regarding the Syrian regime, I have no doubt that it had a huge problem with Martyr Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. I want to deal with this issue as a responsible official who has the responsibility to protect the country and the Lebanese people. We recall that Martyr Hariri sought during all his life Lebanon’s stability, calm, prosperity and reconstruction. Thus, there are things that hurt, but when in a position of responsibility, we have to look at the country’s interest.
PM-designate Hariri then said in English: “I want to thank everyone who worked on this case in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the judges, the prosecution and the defense. This the first time in Lebanon that we see such a procedure for an assassination. As you know, we have witnessed many assassinations of presidents, prime ministers, members of parliament, journalists, who fell in the name of justice or in the name of a cause in Lebanon. It is the first time we see such a procedure and I thank everyone. The coming ten days are dedicated to the closing statements of the Prosecution and the Defense and we will be waiting within a few months for the final decision of the judges. Then we will assume our responsibility as a government, to see how to move forward. We always insist on the stability and security of Lebanon.”
Asked about the possible repercussions of the verdict, Hariri said: “We faced many challenges during the last years. But I believe in God and in the fact that those who committed this crime will be punished sooner or later. This may take some time, maybe more than expected, but we have faith in God.”
المحكمة الدولية: بدرالدين العقل المدبر والنظام السوري في صلب مؤامرة اغتيال الحريري
المركزية/11 أيلول/18/
انطلقت صباح اليوم المرافعات الختامية للمحكمة الدولية الخاصة بلبنان، في لاهاي، واستهلت الجلسة بمرافعة الاتهام قبل أن يتحدث ممثلو الضحايا ثم الدفاع. في الجلسة الأولى، التي حضرها نجل الرئيس الشهيد رفيق الحريري، الرئيس المكلف تشكيل الحكومة سعد الحريري، أعلن الادعاء ان “مصطفى بدرالدين كان مسؤولا كبيرا في “حزب الله” وخبرته العسكرية أوصلته لقيادة قوات الحزب في سوريا وتجلت بطريقة تنفيذ اغتيال رفيق الحريري”، لافتا الى ان “بدرالدين هو العقل المدبر لاغتيال رفيق الحريري”. وأشار الادعاء إلى ان “سليم عياش قاد وحدة اغتيال رفيق الحريري المؤلفة من ستة أشخاص”، لافتا إلى ان “الأدلة التي تدين المتهمين بقتل رفيق الحريري دامغة”. ورأى أن “النظام السوري في صلب مؤامرة اغتيال رفيق الحريري”، مشيرا إلى ان “الشبكة “الخضراء” التي قادت اغتيال رفيق الحريري تابعة تماما إلى “حزب الله”. ورأى أن “الأدلة التي تدين المتهمين باغتيال الحريري دامغة”. وقال المحامي العام لدى المحكمة ان “الادلة مقنعة وقوية وموضوعية من خلال الاتصالات وحجمها، وهواتف المتهمين توقفت عن التشغيل في وقت واحد وتعكس التخطيط لتنفيذ المخطط”. وقال محامي الضحايا: “إن عملية الاغتيال تمت في أجواء رافضة للوجود السوري في لبنان”.. وينتظر أن تصدر المحكمة حكمها في القضية في شباط أو آذار 2019 مستندة إلى القرار الاتهامي الذي تؤكد مصادر اطلعت على جانب من مضمونه أنّه يدين عناصر قيادية في حزب الله في الجريمة ويشير إلى تورط النظام السوري فيها بطريقة أو بأخرى. وذكرت هذه المصادر أن القرار الاتهامي يحدد أسماء أعضاء الخلية التابعة للحزب التي لاحقت الحريري في مرحلة ما قبل اغتياله وصولا إلى اليوم الذي نفذت فيه الجريمة. وأوضحت أن القرار يتضمّن أدقّ التفاصيل في ما يتعلّق بملاحقة موكب رئيس الوزراء الأسبق ومراقبته مع تركيز خاص على الدور الذي لعبه النظام السوري عبر اللواء رستم غزالة (مسؤول المخابرات السورية في لبنان) على صعيد التنسيق مع حزب الله. وسيحضر سعد الحريري المكلّف بتشكيل الحكومة اللبنانية جلسات المطالعات الأخيرة في قضية اغتيال والده. ووصل الحريري إلى لاهاي، الاثنين، وسيمضي فيها نحو ثلاثة أيام لمتابعة ما يدور في هذه الجلسات. واعتبرت مصادر سياسية لبنانية، أن وجود سعد الحريري في لاهاي وحضوره جلسات المحكمة الخاصة بلبنان يعكسان رغبة منه في إظهار أن لبنان نجح أخيرا في جعل العدالة تأخذ مجراها، وذلك على الرغم من سعي حزب الله إلى وضع كلّ العراقيل في طريق المحكمة. وكان آخر ما قام به الحزب في هذا السياق تحذير أطلقه أمينه العام حسن نصرالله من أي رهان على المحكمة الخاصة بلبنان وقوله إن من يفعل ذلك إنّما “يلعب بالنار”. وسبق لنصرالله أن أكد رفض الحزب تسليم المتهمين في الجريمة واعتبرهم “قديسين”. ويأتي على رأس هؤلاء مصطفى بدرالدين الذي قتل قبل نحو عامين في سوريا في ظروف غامضة. وسمت الهيئة الاتهامية إلى الآن أربعة عناصر قيادية أخرى من حزب الله متهمة بالضلوع في الجريمة. وليس معروفا هل لا يزال هؤلاء على قيد الحياة، إذ أن الأمر الوحيد الأكيد أن مصطفى بدرالدين قتل أثناء وجوده في موقع لحزب الله في مطار دمشق في الثالث عشر من أيار 2016. أمّا المتهمون الأربعة الآخرون فهم: حسين حسن عنيسي وسليم جميل عيّاش وحسن حبيب مرعي وأسد حسن صبرا.
المحكمة الدولية”: المتهمون ينتمون إلى “حزب الله”… و3 آلاف “قرينة” لإدانة قتلة رفيق الحريري
لبنان الجديد/11 أيلول/18/
من المتوقع أن يصدر الحكم النهائي أوائل العام المقبل بعد انتهاء القضاة من المذاكرة والتدقيق، ليفتح المجال بعدها لفريق الدفاع بتقديم استئناف للحكم.بدأ فريق الادعاء في المحكمة الدولية الخاصة بلبنان، الثلثاء، بتقديم مرافعاته النهائية في قضية اغتيال رئيس الوزراء الراحل رفيق الحريري، المتهم فيها قادة من “حزب الله” المرتبطة بالنظام الإيراني. وسيقدم الادعاء موجزا للقضية، التي عمل عليها منذ عام 2014، فيما سيقدم كل من الممثلين القانونيين لفريقي الدفاع والمتضررين مرافعاتهم النهائية في جلسات قد تمتد لأسبوعين. ويعرض فريق الإدعاء الأدلة، التي جمعها طوال السنوات الماضية، بعد الاستماع لأكثر من 307 شهود، وجمع ما يفوق 3000 قرينة بحضور وكلاء الدفاع والمتضررين، من بينهم سعد الحريري، رئيس الوزراء المكلف نجل الراحل.
وتدعم المرافعات النهائية للإدعاء تثبيت الاتهام على المتهمين الـ4 بتورطهم في التخطيط والتنفيذ في قتل الحريري، إذ يقدم المدعي العام أدلة “لا تقبل الشك” لما قام به المتهمون قبل وخلال وبعد اغتيال رئيس الوزراء الراحل، وذلك بحسب مصادر مقربة من المحكمة. وترتكز الأدلة على استخدام المتهمين لمجموعة شبكات الهواتف قبل وأثناء وبعد عملية الاغتيال، وهي شبكات هاتفية خاصة وزعت حسب مهام كل مجموعة، كالشبكات المغلقة بين المجموعة المنفذة، ويعتبر استخدام هذه الهواتف بين المتهمين من الطرق الرئيسية التي أدت إلى كشف أسمائهم. ويفند الإدعاء ارتباط استخدام هذه الهواتف بأماكن كان يرتادها الحريري، وإثبات أن المتهمين جندوا أحمد أبو عدس، لكي يتهم زورا بارتكاب الجريمة. وسيتناول الإدعاء جانبا سياسيا من الاغتيال، والأحداث، التي سبقت جريمة اغتيال الحريري، ولكن من غير المؤكد إذا كان المدعي العام سيشير إلى الهوية السياسية للمتهمين باعتبارهم أعضاء بارزين في ميليشات حزب الله اللبناني، بيد أنه سيتحدث عن الظروف السياسية التي سبقت الاغتيال.
المتهمون.. وقائدهم بدر الدين
والمتهمون في قضية اغتيال الحريري أعضاء بارزون في “حزب الله”، وهم مصطفى بدر الدين، وسليم عياش، وحسين حسن عنيسي، وأسد صبرا، وحسن مرعي. وقال فريق الإدعاء إن مصطفى بدر الدين هو العقل المدبر لعملية الاغتيال، والباقي كانوا منفذين للعملية، وبذلك يعتبر بدر الدين، الذي قتل في سوريا في مايو 2016 أبرز المسؤولين عن تلك العملية. وأوضح الإدعاء إن خبرة بدر الدين العسكرية وسجله مكنته من الوصول إلى هذه المرتبة حتى يكون القائد العسكري لحزب الله في سوري. والاسم الحقيقي لبدر الدين هو سامي صعب، وكان يعتبر الرجل الثاني في حزب الله، وهو كان صهر القيادي القتيل البارز في الحزب عماد مغنية. وتولى بدر الدين موقع قائد العمليات الخارجية في الحزب، كما كان عضوا في مجلس شورى الحزب، وقد أوقف في الكويت عام 1983 وسجن هناك بسبب ضلوعه في تنفيذ سبع جرائم تمس منشآت حكومية ومدارس ومساكن. وهرب بعد الغزو العراقي للكويت عام 1990 إلى إيران، وأعاده الحرس الثوري الإيراني إلى بيروت. وبحسب مواقع غربية، فإن بدر الدين عين خلفا لعماد مغنية بعد اغتياله في تفجير استهدفه في دمشق في فبراير2008. وأقام الاثنان أوسع صلات استخباراتية مع أجهزة الأمن العربية والإيرانية، خصوصا في ليبيا والسودان وسوريا. 50 سؤالا.. وطالبت غرفة الدرجة الأولى من الادعاء الإجابة على أكثر من 50 سؤالا خلال المرافعات النهائية، فيما يقدم كل فريق تقويمه للأدلة والشهادات، التي جرى جمعها خلال المحاكمة، والأسباب التي تبرر النطق بالحكم لمصلحة كل طرف. وقبل المرافعات النهائية كان قد جرى تقديم مذكرة نهائية للمحاكمة من كل فريق، ومذكرة من المتضررين المشاركين في الإجراءات في قضية المتهمين الأربعة، وهنا تجدر الإشارة إلى أن المرافعة النهائية هي موجز لقضية كل فريق كان قد عرضها في الإجراءات القائمة بحق المتهمين الأربعة. والمرافعات الشفوية النهائية ستكون ملخصا عن المذكرات الخطية، التي قدمت في وقت سابق خلال جلسات المحكمة بعد مراجعتها. تجدر الإشارة إلى أن المرافعات النهائية لا تشكّل حكما نهائيا، إذ انه وبعد فراغ جميع الأطراف من الإدلاء بمرافعاتهم النهائية، سينصرف القضاة الخمسة في المحكمة إلى المداولة والمذاكرة بشأن الحكم. ويتوقع أن يصدر الحكم النهائي أوائل العام المقبل بعد انتهاء القضاة من المذاكرة والتدقيق، ليفتح المجال بعدها لفريق الدفاع بتقديم استئناف للحكم.
الحريري من لاهاي: من ارتكب جريمة الاغتيال سيدفع الثمن وما يهمنا التركيز على الاستقرار
الثلاثاء 11 أيلول 2018
وطنية – شارك الرئيس المكلف تشكيل الحكومة سعد الحريري صباح اليوم في افتتاح جلسات المرافعة الختامية للمحكمة الدولية الخاصة بلبنان والمخصصة للاستماع الى المرافعة الختامية للمدعي العام نورمان فاريل والتي انعقدت في مبنى المحكمة الدولية في لاهاي. وفي ختام القسم الأول من الجلسة الصباحية غادر الحريري مبنى المحكمة وتحدث الى الصحافيين: “استمعنا اليوم الى محامي الدفاع والادعاء الذين قالوا ما لديهم قبل ان يصدر القضاة حكمهم بهذه القضية. وبالنسبة لي انا كنجل رفيق الحريري، اليوم هو يوم صعب، فرفيق الحريري لم يعد موجودا معنا، وهو كذلك يوم صعب للبنان، فالرئيس الحريري وجميع شهداء 14 آذار سقطوا من اجل حماية لبنان وليس من اجل خرابه، ومن هذا المنطلق طالبنا منذ البداية بالعدالة والحقيقة اللتين نؤمن بأنهما تحميان لبنان، ولم نلجأ يوما الى الثأر، فرفيق الحريري لم يكن يوما رجلا يسعى للثأر بل كان رجل عدالة ونحن على خطاه سائرون”. أضاف: “اليوم كنت الى جانب أهالي بعض الضحايا الذين كانوا موجودين في المحكمة، ورأينا وسمعنا ما جرى، وخلال أشهر سيصدر الحكم، وعندئذ تكون تحققت العدالة التي لطالما طالبنا بها ولو انها استغرقت بعض الوقت، ومع مرور الزمن يصبح الانسان اكثر هدوءا وعندما يرى الحقائق يفكر بهدوء اكثر. بالنسبة إلي اهم شيء هو البلد، وكما كان الرئيس الشهيد يقول دائما إن لا احد اكبر من بلده وهذه هي سياستنا الفعلية”. وتابع: “أود ان اشكر كل من عمل في هذه المحكمة من قضاة ومحامين، وهذه اول محكمة دولية توفر من ذاتها مكتبا للدفاع عن المتهمين. كما اشكر الأمم المتحدة وكل من سعى لقيام هذه المحكمة. شهد لبنان الكثير من الاغتيالات من دون ان تظهر الحقيقة، وندعو الله سبحانه وتعالى إلى أن يكون معنا ويدفع من ارتكب هذه الجريمة الثمن عاجلا ام آجلا، فنحن مع حماية البلد”.
سئل: سمعنا ان من الممكن ان يكون “حزب الله” او أحد قيادييه اتخذ قرار الاغتيال، فاذا كان هذا الأمر صحيحا ماذا ستكون ردة فعلك وخصوصا أنك تشكل الحكومة؟
أجاب: “انا لا اعرف ماذا سيكون القرار النهائي، فلننتظر ولنر ولا نستبق الأمور. في النهاية نحن في بلد نعيش فيه مع بعضنا البعض ونريد ان نعيش مع بعضنا البعض لمصلحة البلد. أتيت الى لاهاي منذ سنوات عدة وقلت كلاما استغربه البعض، ولكن في لبنان يجب ان يتمثل الجميع ودعونا لا نستبق الأمور”.
سئل: بماذا شعرت حين سمعت الكلام عن “حزب الله” وعلاقته بهذه الجريمة، مناصرين وقياديين كما قال الادعاء، وهل تمد اليد الى الحزب المتهم اليوم باغتيال الرئيس الشهيد رفيق الحريري؟
أجاب: “عندما يكون الانسان في الموقع الذي انا فيه اليوم يجب عليه ان يضع مشاعره جانبا”.
سئل: يتم اليوم ربط المحكمة الدولية بتشكيل الحكومة وببعض العلاقات مع الخارج وما يحصل في المنطقة، ما هو ردك على هذا الموضوع؟
أجاب: “فليتوقفوا عن الطمع في الحقائب وعندئذ تتشكل الحكومة”.
سئل: كيف سينعكس كلام الادعاء الذي قيل اليوم على الوضع في لبنان؟
أجاب: “ظهرت هذه الاثباتات في الماضي وتم التطرق اليها. اليوم اختتمت كل جهة ما قدمته خلال السنوات التي مرت وقدمت حججها امام القضاة الذين سيتخذون فيما بعد قرارهم في هذه القضية”.
سئل: ماذا تقول حين تسمع ان الرئيس الشهيد رفيق الحريري كان يشكل تهديدا خطيرا لمصالح سوريا في لبنان وان هذا هو الطابع السياسي لهذه الجريمة؟
أجاب: “الجميع يعلم كم كان المشكل كبيرا بين الرئيس الشهيد والنظام السوري. انا سأتعامل مع هذا الموضوع من موقعي كمسؤول بمسؤولية كاملة لحماية البلد واللبنانيين، وخصوصا ان الرئيس الشهيد رفيق الحريري لم يسع في كل مراحل حياته الا وراء الاستقرار والهدوء في لبنان والنهوض به. لا شك في ان هناك أمور تجرح قد يتأثر بها الانسان، ولكن امام موقع المسؤولية الموجود فيه الشخص عليه ان يتطلع الى مصلحة البلد”.
سئل: ما هي التداعيات التي ستترتب عن هذا الأمر؟
أجاب: “واجهنا خلال السنوات الماضية الكثير من التحديات المماثلة ولكن لدي ايمان كبير بالله سبحانه وتعالى بان كل من ارتكب هذه الجريمة سينال عقابه عاجلا ام آجلا ولو ان هذا الموضوع استغرق وقتا”.
وردا على سؤال بالإنكليزية أجاب الحريري: “أود أولا ان اشكر كل من عمل على هذه القضية وعلى قيام المحكمة من قضاة ومدعين عامين وفريق الدفاع، فهذه المرة الأولى في لبنان نرى هكذا إجراءات تتخذ عقب عملية اغتيال، وخصوصا اننا واجهنا اغتيالات عدة طاولت رؤساء جمهورية وحكومات وأعضاء في البرلمان وصحافيين، كلهم سقطوا من اجل العدالة او من اجل قضية تهم لبنان. اعلم ان الأيام العشرة المقبلة ستشهد ختام المرافعات للدفاع والادعاء وسننتظر خلال الأشهر القليلة المقبلة القرار النهائي الذي سيصدر عن القضاة، وحينها سنتحمل مسؤوليتنا كحكومة لنرى سبل المضي قدما، فما يهمنا هو التركيز على استقرار لبنان والامن فيه”.
