The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has sent a request to the Lebanese judiciary, summoning six witnesses of attacks that took place in Lebanon between 2004 and 2005, a source told The Daily Star.
The request, received by Lebanon on Tuesday, is related to three assassination attempts that targeted Lebanese politicians and journalists during the heated 2004-2005 period wherein former prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated.
Two months ago, the STL delivered its verdict on Hariri’s assassination and convicted Hezbollah-affiliated Salim Ayyash, who was being tried in absentia and whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Following the sentence, the STL was given jurisdiction to try Ayyash in relation to three other attacks.
One of the said attacks targeted and successfully assassinated the former secretary-general of the Lebanese Communist Party, Georges Hawi.
The remaining two were failed assassination attempts on former Progressive Socialist Party politician and journalist Marwan Hamade, in addition to Elias Murr, who was Lebanon’s deputy prime minister at the time.
The targets of those attacks were all known to be outspoken critics of the Syrian regime and its interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.
It’s worth noting that Murr previously waived his personal right to charge the accused over his assassination attempt, according to the source.
In 2005, Lebanon saw a series of successful and failed assassination attempts against journalists, politicians, and other public figures, as well as bombings that killed and injured many civilians in Beirut.
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