The tribunal set up to try the killers of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri insisted yesterday on keeping its first indictment under wraps as fears of violence rose on the streets of Beirut.
The prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon warned that speculation on the indictment which he submitted on Monday and is widely believed to implicate Hezbollah, would be “counter-productive”.
“This is the first step in our collective quest to end impunity in Lebanon,” prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said in a recorded message as soldiers deployed in Beirut amid soaring tension.
Dozens of unarmed men gathered in several neighbourhoods in mainly Muslim west Beirut early yesterday in a show of force that prompted panicked parents to pull their children from classes and some schools to shut down for the day.
A heavy army presence could be seen by midday in response.
“The gatherings may signal preparations to mobilise in relation to the indictments handed down,” a security official told AFP.
In expectation of being named in the indictment, Hezbollah warned on Sunday it would “defend” itself and branded the tribunal, based in Leidschendam near The Hague for security reasons, a tool of the United States and Israel.
The powerful Shiite grouping, which enjoys the backing of Iran and Syria, withdrew from the Lebanese cabinet with its allies last Wednesday, prompting the collapse of the unity government led by Western-backed Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the murdered former premier.
Diplomatic efforts to contain the crisis also mounted yesterday, with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jaber al-Thani meeting President Michel Sleiman.
Mr Bellemare insisted he would not reveal the charges or the names of those listed in the indictment in connection with the massive car bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others on the Beirut seafront six years ago. Registrar Herman von Hebel added that a trial could start by September or October “if things go well”, regardless of whether an arrest has been made.
The tribunal’s rules allow for suspects to be tried in their absence. They can be arrested even after their conviction.
The defence office of the tribunal, created to protect the rights of defendants, said in a separate statement that it had put in place procedures to allow any accused person to be represented by counsel of their choice.
“The defence office will ensure that all the necessary means are made available to the defence teams so as to afford them the indispensable equality of arms with the office of the prosecutor,” it said, while appealing to all concerned to refrain from speculating about the identity of the suspects.
US President Barack Obama welcomed the indictment as key to bringing justice to the culprits, and appealed for calm amid rising tensions.