STL Asks Lebanese Authorities to Publish Merhi's Posters in the Media

Representatives of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon delivered Friday posters of the new accused Hassan Habib Merhi to the Lebanese authorities “for the purpose of public advertisement,” the court said in a statement.

“According to the Tribunal’s rules, the Lebanese authorities are requested to advertise the poster in the media to notify the public and to call on the accused to surrender to the Tribunal,” the STL added.

“The information given to the Lebanese authorities includes the biographical details of Mr. Merhi along with two identifying photographs,” it said.

On Thursday, the STL said Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen confirmed an indictment against Merhi, who is accused of being involved in the February 14, 2005 Beirut attack that killed former Premier Rafik Hariri and 22 others.

The confirmed indictment and an arrest warrant were transmitted confidentially to the Lebanese authorities on August 6 so that they could search for, arrest and transfer the accused to STL custody, announced the tribunal in a statement on Thursday.

The Lebanese authorities were given 30 calendar days to carry out this obligation and report back on their efforts by September 5, 2013.

On September 6, the Lebanese Prosecutor General submitted his confidential report to Tribunal President, Judge Sir David Baragwanath, stating that so far the accused has not been found. Subsequently, the STL President requested additional measures be taken by the Lebanese authorities.

All of these steps have been confidential until now to allow the Lebanese authorities the best opportunity to apprehend the accused, continued the STL statement.

Merhi, is charged with a number of crimes including the crime of conspiracy aimed at committing a terrorist act. He is alleged to have acted in a conspiracy with Hizbullah members Mustafa Amin Badreddine, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, and Assad Hassan Sabra in relation to the attack on February 14, 2005, all of whom have already been indicted.

The accused Merhi is alleged to have coordinated the preparation of the purported claim of responsibility as part of the preparations for and in furtherance of, the attack, said the STL statement.

The STL said Merhi is “a supporter of Hizbullah” who was born on December 12, 1965 in Beirut.

“He is the son of Habib Merhi and Latifa Abbas,” it added, revealing that he has resided in Burj al-Barajneh and that “he is a citizen of Lebanon” whose “Lebanese civil registration is 1126/Zqaq-EI-Blat.”

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has rejected the STL, describing it as an American-Israeli product bent on destroying the party.

He has vowed never to cooperate with the tribunal, saying that the suspects will never be found.