Lebanon and the ghosts of the past
"For the first time in a long history of political assassinations in Lebanon, the Lebanese have been able to know the truth. Today is a historic day." These were the words used by former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri - the son of Rafic Hariri - after learning of the ruling issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (TEL). Fifteen years after the attack that killed Rafic Hariri, this tribunal has held one member of Hezbollah responsible and acquitted the other three accused, Hussein Hassan Oneissi, Assad Hassan Sabra and Hassan Habib Merhi.
Saad Hariri has explained in an exclusive interview with Al-Hadath TV, that the International Tribunal for Lebanon "was established on the basis of not convicting entities and states", so this could be one of the main reasons why this Court did not directly condemn Hezbollah for the murder of his father, according to the digital Al Arabiya.
The former Lebanese prime minister - who accepted the ruling on behalf of his entire family - has been clear with Hezbollah and has assured "that he will not rest until the sentence is enforced. "The Lebanese demanded truth and justice, and now that we know the truth, it is time to demand justice and a just punishment," he said after learning of the ruling.
He thanked Saudi Arabia for "its support for the International Tribunal" and stressed that "the judgment delivered on Tuesday has shown the credibility of this institution". "The tribunal has ruled for Lebanon, not for Saad Hariri," he reiterated. He also called for an investigation into the explosion that shook the port of Beirut on 4 August, killing more than 170 people and injuring more than 6,000. "This matter will take time. We must not lose hope," he said.
This verdict comes at a difficult time for the country of cedars, where two weeks ago a double explosion destroyed the port of Beirut and its surroundings. The anger of a society that demanded and still demands answers forced the Executive to resign, leaving the country without a rudder in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rafic Hariri, a well-known leader of the Sunni community with close ties to the United States and other Western countries, was seen at the time as a threat to Iranian and Syrian influence in Lebanon. During the session, Chief Justice David Re stressed that while Hezbollah or Syria may have had motives to eliminate Hariri and his political allies, the STL found no evidence of their involvement in the 2005 attack.
Disappointment and sadness were two of the predominant feelings among those Lebanese residents in Europe who approached the Court's headquarters to demand justice for Hariri's death. "It has taken us 15 years of waiting and more than $700 million for the Court to give us this soft outcome: one accused and the rest innocent. We did not expect this to be the sentence, nor this the court, supposedly of experienced judges. We are not happy with this decision and we will see what Lebanon will do to locate the accused Salim Ayyash," Ahmed Al Sayed, a Lebanese political activist told EFE news agency.
This session began with a minute's silence in tribute to the victims of the double explosion in the port of Beirut. The court postponed the date on which it was due to deliver its verdict until 18 August, following the disaster on 4 August. The verdict has reopened old wounds in Lebanon, a country of around 4.5 million inhabitants, which is hosting more than 1.5 million refugees, and which is suffering from the consequences of the collapse of the currency and rising inflation.
A fortnight after the explosion that shook Beirut and a series of protests calling for the resignation of the Government, cases of the coronavirus have skyrocketed. To prevent the spread of this pathogen, the Lebanese authorities announced a night curfew on Tuesday. This measure will be implemented as of this Friday from 6pm to 6am local time for citizens, while shops and businesses such as bars and restaurants will have to close one hour earlier.