STL President Convenes Trial Chamber in Hamadeh, Hawi, Murr Case

The President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Judge Ivana Hrdličková on Wednesday issued an order convening the Trial Chamber in the connected case related to the attacks against Marwan Hamadeh, Georges Hawi and Elias Murr.

According to the STL’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence, the Trial Chamber may be engaged in various judicial matters before the start of trial. This can include holding an initial appearance with the Accused if one is in custody, deciding whether a trial should proceed in absentia and ruling on preliminary motions.

The judges of the ‘Trial Chamber II’ are: Judge Walid Akoum of Lebanon; Judge Nicolas Lettieri of Italy; and Judge Anna Bednarek of Poland.

Judge Bednarek was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General as new international judge. Judge Akoum and Judge Lettieri currently also serve as alternate judges in the Trial Chamber of the case against the killers of ex-PM Rafik Hariri.

“I congratulate the Judges on their appointments to Trial Chamber II, and welcome Judge Anna Bednarek as new STL Judge. I wish them all the best in their judicial duties,” STL President Hrdličková said.

The STL Pre-Trial Judge had on September 16, 2019 lifted the confidentiality of his decision confirming an indictment against suspected Hizbullah operative Salim Jamil Ayyash.

The indictment, dated June 14, 2019, alleges that Ayyash was involved in the Oct. 1, 2004 bomb attack against Hamade, the June, 21 2005 bomb attack against Hawi and the July 12, 2005 bomb attack against Murr. These attacks were found by the STL to be “connected” to the February 14, 2005 attack that killed Hariri.

The STL has put Ayyash and three other suspected Hizbullah operatives on an in-absentia trial and the judges are holding confidential deliberations prior to the issuance of sentences.

Hizbullah has denied involvement in the assassination of Hariri, describing the STL as a hostile scheme against it.