Defense Case Begins at Special Tribunal for Lebanon

Defense counsel for the Accused Hussein Hassan Oneissi began Monday the presentation of evidence before the Trial Chamber of the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

The presentation began with the testimony of an expert witness, Professor Siegfried Ludwig Sporer.

Sporer testified in relation to the general principles of eyewitness testimony and identification.

The STL noted in a statement that “the Oneissi Defense is the only Defense which elected to present a case” and that it has notified the Trial Chamber that it would call two witnesses to testify, Sporer and Lebanon's former General Security head Maj. Gen. Jamil al-Sayyed.

The Trial Chamber also decided to allow the Oneissi Defense to amend its witness list by “adding four witnesses, DHO-003, DHO-004, DHO-005 and Mr Xavier Laroche (DHO-006), and to receive their witness statements into evidence in lieu of their oral testimony.”

The 'Ayyash et al. case' concerns the 14 February 2005 attack in Beirut that killed formerPrime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others, and injured 226 more.

Oneissi and four other suspected Hizbullah members are currently facing trial in absentia. They are charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, and several other related charges.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has dismissed the court as a U.S.-Israeli plot against his group and vowed that the suspects will never be caught.