Ya Libnan

STL prosecutor: Evidence is my only guide

Share:

In one of the videos posted on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s (STL) website on Wednesday, STL Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said in a question and answer session that accusations that the tribunal is politicized are being made by people who might fear the outcome of the tribunal’s decision or the tribunal’s efforts to uncover the truth.

Allegations of politicization are groundless, he said and added : “If I am influenced by governments then the Tribunal could be considered politicized but I make my own independent decisions and evidence is my only guide .”

Bellemare also said: ” The fact that this institution was created by a political body or the fact that we are operating in a highly politicized environment does not mean we are politicized .

In another video and in response to a question why the investigation is taking such a long time Bellemare said:” Behind every inch of progress there is a mile of work so it takes time to pursue all credible leads to negate leaks that are not credible. ”

Tension escalated in Lebanon following reports that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will soon issue its indictment into the 2005 assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Last July, the Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the tribunal is “an Israeli project” that will indict Hezbollah members. Nasrallah accused Israel of being behind Hariri’s assassination but refused to provide the evidence to STL to support his claim. Hezbollah and its March 8 allies have been calling for the abolition of STL.

Hezbollah has spearheaded several campaigns with the aim of discrediting STL. On Monday Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei joined Hezbollah’s campaign against the Special Tribunal for Lebanon . He announced after a meeting with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani that any indictment handed down by a U.N.-backed court looking into the 2005 killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri will be “null and void.”

Share:

Comments

12 responses to “STL prosecutor: Evidence is my only guide”

  1. PROPHET.T Avatar
    PROPHET.T

    How contradictory Bellemare statements are; first he says: “If I am influenced by governments then the Tribunal could be considered politicized but I make my own independent decisions and evidence is my only guide.”
    Why on earth would you ask the American ambassador for help in,providing him with names of Syrian officers he should question,and in getting the Syrian to cooperate, knowing that the US and Syria are not friendly to each other? What makes you think the US would be impartial?
    Israeli officials have publicly stated that they helped the STL collect evidence, and who the accused are? HA. How impartial would Israel’s help could be? lol
    We know from previous interviews that Bellmore talks about circumstantial evidence as conclusive evidence.
    Circumstantial evidence is indirect evidence that implies something occurred but doesn’t directly prove it. It usually accumulates into a collection, so that the pieces then become evidence, but never conclusive evidence.Now we know why it has taken him so long to finish his inquiry;He has no evidence ,except for circumstantial evidence.

    Second He says: “The fact that this institution was created by a political body or the fact that we are operating in a highly politicized environment does not mean we are politicized.”
    How on earth is it possible to operate in a political context, and not be influenced by the political environment? The person or the party that signs the checks can influence everything.
    This STL isn’t a charity where people donate money for a humanitarian cause. If that was the case, we’d have seen the Vatican, Bill Gates, and other wealthy people who donate for the sake of humanity , contribute money to the STL.
    Only countries that have political interests have been contributing money to the STL. I JUST WONDER WHY?LOL.

    1. nabilabuzaid Avatar
      nabilabuzaid

      And let’s suppose that Hezbollah is innocent of Hariri killings. Then why would Israel Kill Samir Qassir? why would Israel kill George Hawi? and several others Like Eid who was actually implicating Hezbollah in the crime? why would Israelis kill him? Why the cleanup was ordered after the bombing of Harriri and his associates? Did Israel order it? according to several people who were there after the bombing saw cleanup crew? why would Israel order the Cleanup? if we want to implicate Israel then why cleanup? why kill the other people who can hardly cause a civil strife and kill them? I can understand Hariri but why Samir, Gibran, and George Hawi. I would love to hear your explanation Prophet?

      1. PROPHET.T Avatar
        PROPHET.T

        I never said it was Israel who did the killing,and never said that it could not have killed any ,or all of them.why would not Israel kill any of them? was any of them a friend or an ally of Israel? definitely not. For you to imply that Israel would not kill them is an indication of either their friendship,or their importance to Israel. This is not fair to any of those who were assassinated, nor it is right for you to say that.Eid was implicating Syria. not HA. Hawi was the first one to call for ,and lead the resistance against Israeli occupation in 82. He was a big enemy for Israel,He spend most of his life fighting Israel. He was one of my heroes,and I knew him personally.Qassir and Gibran, though they opposed Syria’s presence in Lebanon, both were patriotic Lebanese who were also enemies of Israel .As for the clean up, it was ordered by a Lebanese judge who is a march 14 friend.,so you go ask him.

  2. PROPHET.T Avatar
    PROPHET.T

    How contradictory Bellemare statements are; first he says: “If I am influenced by governments then the Tribunal could be considered politicized but I make my own independent decisions and evidence is my only guide.”
    Why on earth would you ask the American ambassador for help with getting the Syrian to cooperate, knowing that the US and Syria are not friendly to each other? What makes you think the US would be impartial?
    Israeli officials have publicly stated that they helped the STL collect evidence, and who the accused are? HA. How impartial would Israel’s help could be? lol
    Second He says: “The fact that this institution was created by a political body or the fact that we are operating in a highly politicized environment does not mean we are politicized.”
    How on earth is it possible to operate in a political context, and not be influenced by the political environment? The person or the party that signs the checks can influence everything.
    This STL isn’t a charity where people donate money for a humanitarian cause. If that was the case, we’d have seen the Vatican, Bill Gates, and countries that may not have any interest in the result, finance the STL..
    Only countries that have political interest have been contributing money to the STL.

    1. Avatar
      Anonymous

      And let’s suppose that Hezbollah is innocent of Hariri killings. Then why would Israel Kill Samir Qassir? why would Israel kill George Hawi? and several others Like Eid who was actually implicating Hezbollah in the crime? why would Israelis kill him? Why the cleanup was ordered after the bombing of Harriri and his associates? Did Israel order it? according to several people who were there after the bombing saw cleanup crew? why would Israel order the Cleanup? if we want to implicate Israel then why cleanup? why kill the other people who can hardly cause a civil strife and kill them? I can understand Hariri but why Samir, Gibran, and George Hawi. I would love to hear your explanation Prophet?

      1. PROPHET.T Avatar
        PROPHET.T

        I never said it was Israel who did the killing,and never said that it could not have killed any ,or all of them.
        why would not Israel kill any of them? was any of them a friend or an ally of Israel? definitely not.
        As for the clean up, it was ordered by a Lebanese judge who is a march 14 friend.,so you go ask him.

  3. nabilabuzaid Avatar
    nabilabuzaid

    I never you accused Israel and no one can deny many Israelis asaasinations before. But its Hezbollah lead by Nassrallah who is implicating Israel. And you seem wholeheartdly supporting the organizations and seem hardly critical of them and their activities. Even as recently forcing their celebration in Jedeidah Christians area and setting up roadblocks as if they were the gov’t. Yes George Hawi spent most of his life fighting Israelis but in the end he was very critical of Syria and Hezbollah. But I just don’t buy it that Israel would kill Qassir who was suppose to go to Syria to speak at a gathering of Opposition groups there. Also Gibran was warned many times not to come to Lebanon. If Israel wanted to kill him, they could have done it easily overseas like they have done to other Palestinians before. I don’t know who ordered the cleanup and if the judge order it, I am sure he was ordered to do it. So it would be said the Judge is Pro March 14th although there were no March 14th or 8th before Hariri assasinations. Eid was also implicating HA indirectly because he gathered all the cells numbers and found out it belonged to Hezbollah. His Boss whom everyone thinks he’s Pro March 14th was pretty cooperative with Hezbollah although I don’t know why Hariri was protecting him and still does. I am not here to say to defend Hariri.I frankly never liked him but I was sad to see him dead among many great people that went down with him and after him. What’s making me mad is Hezbollah and Syria and Iran and all March 8th spent so much time on false witnesses who were all either syrians or pro march 8th pretty much and they’re living among them except Zuhair Siddiq who’s in exile. Husem in Syria and Jamil Al Syyed in Dahia. These were the false witnesses and misled the investigations. Syria and Hezbollah and Lahoud were in charge of Lebanon then. Are you telling me all these bombings took place under their nose and they have nothing to do with it? they don’t have a shred of evidence it was Israel behind these hideous crimes? Syria was totally against the STL in the beginning and once they found out they will not be implicating suddenly their voices were quite. Why would Hariri come to Jumblatt and spilled his guts about Syrian intimidation to him when was on his last trip to Damascus and threatens to destroy him and Burn Beirut in the Process? why Marwan hamadeh was being assasinated and they delivered his bodyguard/driver choppped body in a box to Marwan hamadeh? why would anyone do it other than Syria? Syria gotten away with so many murders in Lebanon and destroyed Lebanon and demolished the camps. Yet many people like you and others in March 8th camp keep want to remind us the Christians on March 14th sided with israel and killed Palestinians. Why is it you can hardly forgive syria and forget what they’ve done. That one goes mostly to hezbollah whom they pick and choose who killed Lebanese and Palestinians yet they’re memory is so short they forgot it was the Syrian army who attacked many palestinians camps in Lebanon, tripoli and the south also. Why is it that Syria that destabalized Lebanon as much as Israel for decades yet we seem so lax and barely criticize them. I know you might say that you criticized Syria before but hardly compare what you labeled bashir gemyal and the LF as traitors. It seems in the end hezbollah could careless about those who died and all they want to do is cover for their acts and it shows and very obvious from their daily threats and lies about not wanting to take over the country.

    1. PROPHET.T Avatar
      PROPHET.T

      nabil,
      Emotions and anger aside, I ‘ll lay out for you a logical explanation of my opinion, but not an emotional one.You don’t have to accept it at face value, just give it a thought.
      It is obvious that you and I differ on many issues, and have different conclusions of events which took place in the past five years or so.
      At the same time, I think,we can debate,and find common issues to agree on (I’m sure there are plenty) without resorting to insults or personal attacks.
      My original comment was about Bellemare’s interview and the STL, but you choose to spread out the discussions to other topics, which deserve discussions.I’ll leave the discussion of HA, and March 8 and March 14 for a different post,soon.
      I’m not defending everything the Syrians did in Lebanon, but I’m not throwing any unsupported accusations either.I was critical of Syria’s role and Behavior when many of the people who were assassinated were friends and allies of Syria. So you can’t accuse me of being a Syrian follower.
      Syria is a strategic neighbor and ally of Lebanon via history and geography, but this relationship needs to be put on the right track.
      If it makes you happy to see me critical of HA, You can read many of my comments on my profile, in which I have been critical of HA. I don’t support blindly, nor do I oppose blindly.
      As of the assassination of Hariri, I do suspect Israel among other countries, but I’m not ready to accuse without evidence. Israel had the motives, means, and the will to do such an operation.
      Motives; Getting Syria out of Lebanon, making Syria look guilty of the crime, turning the Sunni community against Syria, making HA busy with internal problems, destabilizing Lebanon as a revenge for its humiliating defeat and withdrawal from south Lebanon among others.
      Means; they are plenty. No need to list Israel’s capabilities, whetehr militarily or intelligence.
      Will; Israel has no loyalty and no respect for any international law. It will kill anyone,and will do anything which it considers in Israel’s interests.Israel has even spied on the country that feeds it,and supports it. Israel’s history of assassination is well known and documented. You don’t need me to show you prove of that; you seem smart enough to know.
      Could Syria have done it? It’s Unlikely, but Yes, It won’t be the first Arab country that has miscalculated . But if you think logically; Syria was the most to loose because of the assassination of Hariri. It had to pull its army in a very humiliating way. It was isolated by many Arab countries as well as international powers because of the assassination.Can any one name one or two things Syria gained from the assassination of Hariri? I Don’t think so.
      Having controlled Lebanon for over twenty years, they knew that all eyes would be directed at them. They controlled the security and army. They would be the first suspect, or at least get the blame for negligence.
      I ‘m not sure, how someone would commit a crime, knowing would be the first “suspect”, and the biggest looser from such crime? Is it miscalculation? It could have been. Was it an operation without the knowledge of the Syrian leadership at the top? Long shot, but again, not likely in a country like Syria. It would mean that the whole Syrian regime is in danger.
      I doubt that the Syrians would have made such a miscalculation with Bush , Cheney,and Rumsfeld in power. they were scared to shit from them. Also their relationship with the Saudis was not bad a the time. We all know that Hariri was the Saudi man in Lebanon,and Syria would have needed the saudi support ,had Rumsfeld carried on with his threats to Syria.
      Syria had just renewed Lahoud’s term, installed a new government headed by Karami; there was no immediate pressure for a drastic miscalculation like this.UN resolution 1959 ,as serious as it was, did not pressure the Syrians as much as you think. many other resolutions had been passed at the UN,and have yet to be implemented.
      The evidence you mention that Eid “discovered” is the core of the question now. Can you guarantee that this data was not compromised? Many questions remain to be answered.
      The UNIIIL and the STL have, no doubt, been politicized, manipulated, and misused.I if you can’t see that the STL’s credibility has suffered , then you are not being intellectually honest.
      Perhaps discredited witnesses, false accusations, dead-end investigations and three separate, failed commissioners in 5 years mean not a whit to you.
      Perhaps the continued jailing of four Lebanese generals for four years with no evidence whatsoever at the behest of the “international” investigator’s does not signal “injustice” or ” politicization” for you.
      Perhaps the political accusations against Syria with no evidence do not concern you.
      Perhaps the Israeli admittance that they contributed intelligence and information to the STL does not concern you.
      Being critical of the STL is not a sign of guilt. Being against a UN is not a sign of guilt.
      if the syrians really did order the assassination of Hariri and the others, my guess would be for the involvements of Hariri and others in playing with internal Syrian politics,which would have been a major threat to the regime.Like you mentioned about Qassir, going to Syria to speak to opposition groups against Syrian regime in Syria. what business was that of him?
      jadM had a good point though,that whether Syria or Israel or another country was behind the assassinations, it was a Lebanese hand that executed the order.

  4. Avatar
    Anonymous

    I never you accused Israel and no one can deny many Israelis asaasinations before. But its Hezbollah lead by Nassrallah who is implicating Israel. And you seem wholeheartdly supporting the organizations and seem hardly critical of them and their activities. Even as recently forcing their celebration in Jedeidah Christians area and setting up roadblocks as if they were the gov’t. Yes George Hawi spent most of his life fighting Israelis but in the end he was very critical of Syria and Hezbollah. But I just don’t buy it that Israel would kill Qassir who was suppose to go to Syria to speak at a gathering of Opposition groups there. Also Gibran was warned many times not to come to Lebanon. If Israel wanted to kill him, they could have done it easily overseas like they have done to other Palestinians before. I don’t know who ordered the cleanup and if the judge order it, I am sure he was ordered to do it. So it would be said the Judge is Pro March 14th although there were no March 14th or 8th before Hariri assasinations. Eid was also implicating HA indirectly because he gathered all the cells numbers and found out it belonged to Hezbollah. His Boss whom everyone thinks he’s Pro March 14th was pretty cooperative with Hezbollah although I don’t know why Hariri was protecting him and still does. I am not here to say to defend Hariri.I frankly never liked him but I was sad to see him dead among many great people that went down with him and after him. What’s making me mad is Hezbollah and Syria and Iran and all March 8th spent so much time on false witnesses who were all either syrians or pro march 8th pretty much and they’re living among them except Zuhair Siddiq who’s in exile. Husem in Syria and Jamil Al Syyed in Dahia. These were the false witnesses and misled the investigations. Syria and Hezbollah and Lahoud were in charge of Lebanon then. Are you telling me all these bombings took place under their nose and they have nothing to do with it? they don’t have a shred of evidence it was Israel behind these hideous crimes? Syria was totally against the STL in the beginning and once they found out they will not be implicating suddenly their voices were quite. Why would Hariri come to Jumblatt and spilled his guts about Syrian intimidation to him when was on his last trip to Damascus and threatens to destroy him and Burn Beirut in the Process? why Marwan hamadeh was being assasinated and they delivered his bodyguard/driver choppped body in a box to Marwan hamadeh? why would anyone do it other than Syria? Syria gotten away with so many murders in Lebanon and destroyed Lebanon and demolished the camps. Yet many people like you and others in March 8th camp keep want to remind us the Christians on March 14th sided with israel and killed Palestinians. Why is it you can hardly forgive syria and forget what they’ve done. That one goes mostly to hezbollah whom they pick and choose who killed Lebanese and Palestinians yet they’re memory is so short they forgot it was the Syrian army who attacked many palestinians camps in Lebanon, tripoli and the south also. Why is it that Syria that destabalized Lebanon as much as Israel for decades yet we seem so lax and barely criticize them. I know you might say that you criticized Syria before but hardly compare what you labeled bashir gemyal and the LF as traitors. It seems in the end hezbollah could careless about those who died and all they want to do is cover for their acts and it shows and very obvious from their daily threats and lies about not wanting to take over the country.

    1. PROPHET.T Avatar
      PROPHET.T

      nabil,
      Emotions and anger aside, I can give you a logical explanation of my opinion, but not an emotional one.
      It is obvious that you and I differ on many issues, and have different conclusions of events which took place in the past five years or so.At the same time, I think,we can debate,and find common issues to agree on without resorting to insults or personal attacks.
      My original comment was about Bellemare’s interview and the STL, and you are spreading out the discussions to other topics, which deserve discussions.Maybe in a another post soon.
      I’m not defending everything the Syrians did in Lebanon, but I’m not throwing any unsupported accusations either.
      If it makes you happy to see me critical of HA, You can read many comments on my profile, in which I was critical of HA. I don’t support blindly, nor do I oppose blindly.
      I’ll leave the discussion of HA, and March 8 and March 14 for a different post.
      As of the assassination of Hariri, I do suspect Israel, but I’m not ready to accuse without evidence. Israel had the motives, means, and will to do such an operation.
      Motives; Getting Syria out of Lebanon, making Syria look guilty of the crime, turning the Sunni community against Syria, making HA, busy with internal problems, destabilizing Lebanon as a revenge for its humiliating defeat and withdrawal from south Lebanon among others.
      Means; they are plenty. No need to list Israel’s capabilities, whetehr militarily or intelligence.
      Will; Israel has no loyalty and no respect for any international law. It will kill and do anything which it considers in Israel’s interests.
      Could Syria have done it? It’s Unlikely, but Yes. Arab regimes have been known to miscalculate .But if you think logically; Syria was the most to loose because of the assassination of Hariri. It had to pull its army in a very humiliating way.
      Having controlled Lebanon for over twenty years, they knew that all eyes would be directed at them. They controlled the security and army. They would be the first suspect, or at least get the blame for negligence.
      I ‘m not sure, how someone would commit a crime, if He knew that He would be the first to suspect, and he has the most to loose. Is it miscalculation? It could have been. Was it an operation without the knowledge of the Syrian leadership at the top? Long shot, but again, it could have been.
      The evidence you mention that Eid “discovered” is the core of the question now. Can you guarantee that this data was not compromised? Many questions remain to be answered.
      The UNIIIL and the STL have, no doubt, been politicized, manipulated, and misused.
      Perhaps discredited witnesses, false accusations, dead-end investigations and three separate, failed commissioners in 5 years mean not a whit to you.
      Perhaps the continued jailing of four Lebanese generals for four years with no evidence whatsoever at the behest of the “international” investigator’s does not signal “injustice” or ” politicization” for you.
      Perhaps the political accusations against Syria with no evidence do not concern you.
      Perhaps the Israeli admittance that they contributed intelligence and information to the STL does not concern you.
      Being critical of the STL is not a sign of guilt. Being against a UN is not a sign of guilt.

  5. JadM Avatar
    JadM

    Guys, it is clear enough that the assasination of Rafic Hariri was planned outside lebanon by a foreign entity (either Syria or Isreal) both have good reasons to kill hariri. The execuction of the assasination however is purely lebanese…and that is the only part the STL will be managing to uncover. In other words we will never be able to tell for sure which country wanted or planned for the assasination as both Syria and Isreal are off the radar.

    We will only know part of the truth… but never the whole truth about the true murderers of Hariri.

    Hariri was killed by lebanese hands on foreign/non-lebanese orders.

    Hariri died as a hero….. lebanon was the real victim here, I just wish everyone else in lebanon viewed this issue like I do….we wouldn’t have all these tensions then, would we?

  6. JadM Avatar
    JadM

    Guys, it is clear enough that the assasination of Rafic Hariri was planned outside lebanon by a foreign entity (either Syria or Isreal) both have good reasons to kill hariri. The execuction of the assasination however is purely lebanese…and that is the only part the STL will be managing to uncover. In other words we will never be able to tell for sure which country wanted or planned for the assasination as both Syria and Isreal are off the radar.

    We will only know part of the truth… but never the whole truth about the true murderers of Hariri.

    Hariri was killed by lebanese hands on foreign/non-lebanese orders.

    Hariri died as a hero….. lebanon was the real victim here, I just wish everyone else in lebanon viewed this issue like I do….we wouldn’t have all these tensions then, would we?

Leave a Reply