Family of Convicted Hizbullah Member Denounces 'Injustice'
The family of a Hizbullah member convicted in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri described Thursday the guilty verdict handed down by a U.N.-backed tribunal as a "grave injustice."
The comment was the first by relatives of Salim Ayyash, who was found guilty as a co-conspirator in five charges linked to his involvement in the suicide truck bombing that killed Hariri and 21 others in a huge blast 15 years ago. It was released in a statement distributed by Hezbollah.
The Shiite Muslim group has consistently denied involvement in Hariri's killing, calling it a conspiracy against it and has vowed not to hand over any suspects. Ayyash, 56, has been at large and is not likely to serve time. A hearing will be held at a later date to determine his sentence.
In its verdict Aug. 18, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon convicted Ayyash and acquitted three others of involvement in the assassination, which sent shock waves through the Middle East. The tribunal's judges also said there was no evidence the leadership of Hizbullah and Syria were involved in the attack.
Ayyash's family, in the statement issued Thursday, said Ayyash, who hails from the southern Lebanese village of Harouf, was a patriot who served in the Civil Defense and was in Saudi Arabia performing a hajj pilgrimage when the crime occurred.
"All of this refutes this accusation and emphasizes its injustice, weakness and invalidity of the conviction," it said.
27 August 2020, 13:00
23
God bless hezbollah and the family of jihadist Ayyash for denouncing the injustice caused by the Israeli-wahhabi-american tribunal.
Shia Shia Shia !!!
27 August 2020, 18:16
13
Right, that’s because they’re used to Lebanese justice, ah, the lack of it. Let’s see them try to wiggle out of this one.
27 August 2020, 19:34
12
Wow---they are so believable. In Saudi Arabia, doing the hajj---and I am sure they have documents of him landing and leaving Saudi and him leaving and landing in Beirut too. That would have been the FIRST line of defense which was never used for some reason.
In any case, he could have been lying to his family too, but seriously, who in their right mind believes them.
28 August 2020, 04:55
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In the article above the phrase Hezbollah and the phrase Hizbullah are used. (In the same article.) I am not a supporter of that group "But" the phrase should be Hizballah for Party of God. It is a big insult to spell Allah with a O or a U. It is like slapping oneself in the face or being a ignorant insulting journalist. I am curious because my Arabic is not that good.
28 August 2020, 14:33
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Wow...they even provided the location and timeframe that he was so religious in hajj...I wonder if he took an Iranian flight from Syria or Iran or Lebanon where the flight records can be adjusted by the terrorists...
