Closure Of UN Tribunal For Lebanon Would Compromise Global Justice System - Representative

The possible closure of the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), due to insufficient funding, which is investigating the 2005 attack that killed Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, will send a negative message to victims worldwide and undermine trust in the international justice system, Dr. Nidal Jurdi, legal representative at the STL, told Sputnik on Tuesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th June, 2021) The possible closure of the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), due to insufficient funding, which is investigating the 2005 attack that killed Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, will send a negative message to victims worldwide and undermine trust in the international justice system, Dr. Nidal Jurdi, legal representative at the STL, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

On June 2, the STL announced that it is facing a financial crisis and warned that it might not be able to operate beyond July 2021. The same day, the tribunal managed to secure some $15 million from the UN General Assembly.

Currently, the STL is trying to gather the funds to finish the case, while the opening date of the trial has been postponed to June 16.

"It's a negative message to the international community and victims worldwide, who look up to international justice when domestic courts are unable to do their work, so if we let them down, we let the whole world and all the victims down," Nidal Jurdi said.

He further stressed that if the necessary funds are not secured by the end of July and the case is canceled or transferred to the Lebanese judiciary, the international tribunal will have failed to accomplish its mission in the country.

The tribunal's legal representative urged the Lebanese government and the international community to increase their support of the STL so that the trial can proceed and the victims can see justice done.

"The challenge now is not to accept this issue as a result, but rather to apply more pressure on whoever can help, including the Lebanese government, the UN, the international donors, the Arab states to at least fill this gap, and the amount is very affordable for finishing this legacy in a professional manner in line with international standards of justice," Nidal Jurdi stated.

Established in 2007, the STL seeks to prosecute those responsible for the killing of Hariri in Beirut on February 14, 2005. The suicide truck bomb, apart from Hariri, killed 22 more people and injured 226.

In August, the Tribunal exonerated three main suspects: Hussein Hassan Oneissi, Hassan Habib Merhi, and Assad Hassan Sabra. Simultaneously, the Tribunal declared Salim Jamil Ayyash, a Hezbollah member, guilty on all counts.

On December 11, Ayyash was sentenced in absentia to five concurrent life imprisonment terms. A month later, the defense filed notices of appeal, the proceedings of which are currently underway.