Asia

Asia

Hariri tribunal launches legal case, prompting protests in Lebanon

19 January 2011 02:19 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Hariri tribunal indictments submitted yesterday mark the first time that a legal case has been launched against suspects on a political assassination in Lebanon, APA reports quoting csmonitor.com website.
Shiite supporters of the Hezbollah-led parliamentary opposition assembled on the streets of several Beirut neighborhoods early Tuesday, a trial show of force that panicked some schools into closing and sent a tremor of unease through the Lebanese capital.

The street gatherings, which were peaceful and lasted for about two hours, came a day after an international tribunal investigating the murder of Rafik Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister, submitted indictments for a pretrial legal assessment. Details of the indictments remain confidential for now, although it has been widely reported that they will name members of the militant Shiite Hezbollah.
â€œThis is an important moment for the people of Lebanon. It marks the launch of the judicial phase of the tribunal,â€ Daniel Bellemare, the prosecutor for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, said in a video-taped statement. â€œFor the first time, a legal case has been launched against those responsible for a political assassination in Lebanon.â€