STL: Defense Counsel File Pre-Trial Briefs, Challenging Prosecutor’s Claims about Hariri's Murder

Defense counsel for the four accused Hizbullah members filed their Pre-Trial Briefs this week, challenging the Prosecutor’s allegations about the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, announced the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Friday.

The Defense disputes the Prosecution’s account of the attack and the alleged involvement of the four accused, it said in a statement.

“Defense counsel for Assad Hassan Sabra, for example, criticized the Prosecution for what they describe as a failure to disclose documents that will be used in trial,” it revealed.

In addition, they noted that Lebanon has not provided a substantial amount of information crucial to the Defense, rendering counsel “effectively unable to conduct meaningful investigations”.

The Pre-Trial Brief filed by defense counsel for Mustafa Badreddine is available on the STL website.

Defense lawyers for Salim Ayyash and Hussein Oneissi have filed their briefs confidentially. Public redacted versions may follow.

The Prosecution filed its Pre-Trial Brief, the list of witnesses it intends to call at trial, and the list of exhibits it intends to offer into evidence on November 15, 2012.

Ayyash, Badreddine, Oneissi, and Sabra are wanted for the February 14, 2005 suicide car bomb attack in Beirut that killed Hariri and 22 others, including the suicide bomber.

Ayyash has been named in the indictment as coordinator of the assassination team.

Ayyash and Badreddine face five charges including that of "committing a terrorist act by means of an explosive device" and homicide, while Oneissi and Sabra faced charges of conspiring to commit the same acts.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly denounced the STL as an American-Israeli product bent on destroying the party, vowing that it will never cooperate with it and saying that the suspects will never be found.

The accused remain at large after Lebanese authorities failed in apprehending them.