Special Tribunal for Lebanon

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is an international criminal court that was established by an Agreement between the United Nations and the Lebanese Republic pursuant to Security Council resolution 1664 (2006) of 29 March 2006. The United Nations Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations endorsed the agreement on 30 May 2007 (Security Council Resolution 1757 (2007)) [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22746&Cr=leban&Cr1=]

The tribunal is mandated to try those suspected of assassinating former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was murdered in February 2005. Several human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch had argued that the tribunal should have been given jurisdiction over 14 other attacks perpetrated in Lebanon since October 1, 2004. [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/05/01/lebano13297.htm] .

The tribunal marks the first time that a UN-based international criminal court will be trying a "terrorist" crime committed against a specific person. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4926536.stm] According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1664 (2006), it is to be a "tribunal of an international character based on the highest international standards ofcriminal justice." [http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N06/290/16/PDF/N0629016.pdf?OpenElement]

The Special Tribunal will be a "hybrid" international court, similar to the Special Court for Sierra Leone, with the important difference, however, that it will not apply international (criminal) law but rather Lebanese law (Article 2 of the Statute of the Special Tribunal). The chambers will be composed of both Lebanese and international judges with a majority, however, of international judges (Article 8 of the Statute of the Special Tribunal) [http://www.globalpolicy.org/intljustice/general/2006/0318hybrid.htm] UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is expected to appoint judges by the end of 2007, subject to sufficient funding. He estimated the tribunal would cost $120 million over three years. [http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/09/netherlands-invites-un-to-finalize.php]

For reasons of security, administrative efficiency and fairness, the tribunal has its seat outside Lebanon, in Leidschendam in The Netherlands. The premises of the tribunal will be the former Algemene Inlichtingen- en VeiligheidsDienst (AIVD) building. [ [http://www.leidschendamvoorburg.nl/smartsite.htm?id=64421"Libanon-tribunaal welkom in Leidschendam-Voorburg"] ] [ [http://www.undispatch.com/archives/2007/08/netherlands_clo.php"Netherlands Close to Agreeing to Host the Hariri Tribunal"] ]

Ban Ki-Moon appointed Robin Vincent as Registrar of the Tribunal on 11 March 2008. [ [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25925&Cr=Leban&Cr1= Ban Ki-moon names top official for Lebanon tribunal ] ]

ee also

*2005 Lebanon bombings

External links

* [http://www.stleb.org Job Vacancy Announcments for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon]
* [http://www.stleb.org Official Website for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon]
* [http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/lebanon/tribunal/ United Nations webpage for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon]
* [http://www.tribunal4lebanon.org/ Informative site for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon]
* [http://www.globalpolicy.org/intljustice/tribunals/lebanon/2007/res1757.pdf United Nations Security Council Resolution Nr 1757]
* [http://www.hcss.nl/en/publication/394/Hariri,-Homicide-and-The-Hague.html Hariri, Homicide and The Hague] op-ed by The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies

References