STL has 13,170 exhibits for trial of Hezbollah suspects

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon  ( STL)  intends to call 557 witnesses and  present     13,170 exhibits  to prove that the four Hezbollah suspects  are behind the assassination of former Lebanese  PM minister , Rafik Hariri according to STL website

The total time estimated for presentation of the Prosecution’s case against the Hezbollah suspects  is 457.5 hours.

STL  announced also last   Friday that the Prosecution  filed on Thursday  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 in Hariri’s assassination.

Thursday’s filing is in accordance with a deadline set by Pre-Trial Judge Daniel Fransen as part of the preparation for trial, the STL said in a statement.

“The Prosecution’s 58-page Pre-Trial Brief elaborates on the allegations and charges in the Indictment,” it said.

The Brief “includes for each count charged in the Indictment, a summary of the evidence which the Prosecution intends to bring regarding the commission of the alleged crime and the form of responsibility incurred by the accused.”

The list of Witnesses and list of Exhibits will remain fully confidential, unless the judges decide otherwise, according to STL.

The four Hezbollah  suspects include Mustafa Badreddine, a Hezbollah commander who also is the suspected bomb maker in the 1983 blast at the US Marines barracks in Beirut that killed 241 Americans.

The other suspects are Salim Ayyash, also known as Abu Salim, Assad Sabra and Hassan Oneissi, who changed his name to Hassan Issa.

Warrants have been issued against the four   suspects  , but Hezbollah refused to cooperate with the International court

The trial of the four suspects is scheduled to kick off  on March 25 , 2013  even though the  suspects  are still at large.