CLDH Human Rights Press Review: The Daily Star - Special Tribunal for Lebanon appo...:
BEIRUT: The Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced the appointment of Marten Youssef as its new spokesperson Tuesday.
According to a statement released by the Netherlands-based court, Youssef, who was born and raised in Egypt, is a Canadian citizen.
The new spokesperson has worked as a journalist in the Middle East and Africa, as well as in Canada.
During his three years in Abu Dhabi, Youssef worked as the senior courts and justice reporter for the English-language The National newspaper.
As spokesperson, Youssef will be the point of contact for all members of the Lebanese and Arab press. He will speak on behalf of STL’s Chambers, the Defense Office and the Registry.
The STL was established in 2009 to probe the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others in a massive car bomb in Beirut.
Chief of Public Affairs Crispin Thorold will be in charge of assisting the international media on questions related to Chambers, the Defense Office and the Registry, while Sophie Boutaud de la Combe will answer questions relating to the work of the Office of the Prosecutor.
The U.N.-backed court has been at the root of a conflict between the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition and the March 14 alliance, which is headed by Hariri’s son, caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The court’s indictment is widely expected to implicate Hezbollah members in the assassination but the party has denied any involvement and slammed the court as an “Israeli project,” aimed at sowing civil strife. – The Daily Star
The Daily Star - Special Tribunal for Lebanon appointed Marten Youssef as its new spokesperson
Naharnet - STL Appoints Canadian Marten Youssef as...
CLDH Human Rights Press Review: Naharnet - STL Appoints Canadian Marten Youssef as...: "The Special Tribunal for Lebanon has appointed Marten Youssef as spokesperson, STL's press office announced Tuesday. Marten who was born and..."
Now Lebanon - STL appoints Marten Youssef as spokesperson
CLDH Human Rights Press Review: Now Lebanon - STL appoints Marten Youssef as spoke...:
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has appointed Marten Youssef as its spokesperson, the tribunal’s website said on Tuesday.
“Marten, who was born and raised in Egypt, is a Canadian citizen. He has worked as a journalist in the Middle East and Africa, as well as in Canada,” the website said.
“During his three years in Abu Dhabi, Marten was the senior courts and justice reporter for The National newspaper. Most recently he has worked for The Globe and Mail and The Canadian Press. Marten studied political science at university, followed by graduate studies in journalism.”
“As the tribunal’s spokesperson, Marten will be the point of contact for all members of the Lebanese and Arab press. He will speak on behalf of Chambers, the Defence Office and the Registry,” the website added.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Arrest warrant possible if Sayyed does not respond to summons, source says - September 20, 2010
The judiciary will not revoke its summons of former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed and his summons will become an arrest warrant if he does not respond, MTV quoted an anonymous judicial source as saying on Sunday.
In a statement issued on Friday, Hezbollah called on the judiciary to revoke Attorney General Judge Said Mirza’s decision to summon Sayyed for questioning after Sayyed said on September 12 that “[Prime Minister Saad Hariri] should take a lie detector test to prove he did not support or fund false witnesses in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).” The former General Security chief also threatened to take his right “with his own hands” if Hariri did not give it to him.
AFP reported that Sayyed was accompanied from the airport by armed Hezbollah bodyguards when he returned to Beirut on Saturday after a short visit to France.
Sayyed has argued that Mirza is not legally qualified to take judicial action against him because Mirza is one of several Lebanese and Syrian public figures named as defendants in a lawsuit Sayyed filed in Damascus in December 2009.
MTV also quoted an anonymous source close to Prime Minister Saad Hariri saying that the premier will not “evade confrontation if it is imposed upon him… or accept additional nails in the state’s coffin.”
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - March 14 holds emergency meeting to discuss Sayyed’s airport reception - September 19, 2010
The March 14 General Secretariat held an emergency meeting on Sunday evening to discuss “dangerous developments that occurred in the past hours, especially Hezbollah’s military and security seizure of Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport,” according to a statement issued by the secretariat.
This comes after former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed was received Saturday at the airport by a delegation that reportedly included members of Hezbollah and other March 8 parties. AFP reported that Sayyed was accompanied from the airport by armed Hezbollah bodyguards after he returned from a short visit to Paris.
In a statement issued on Friday, Hezbollah called on the judiciary to revoke Attorney General Judge Said Mirza’s decision to summon Sayyed for questioning after Sayyed said on September 12 that “[Prime Minister Saad Hariri] should take a lie detector test to prove he did not support or fund false witnesses in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).” The former General Security chief threatened to take his right “with his own hands” if Hariri did not give it to him.
The March 14 statement added that study of the “continuous coup against the state and its institutions” will be continued in other meetings.
Now Lebanon - Airport was turned into a Hezbollah security zone, March 14 source says - September 20, 2010
An unnamed March 14 source told As-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper in an interview published on Monday that “Beirut’s [Rafik Hariri International] Airport was turned into one of Hezbollah’s security zones on Saturday, which reflects [negatively] on the [status] of airport security.”
On Saturday, armed Hezbollah bodyguards met and accompanied former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed upon his arrival in Beirut, after he was summoned by the court for questioning over his September 12 statement in which he attacked Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Another prominent security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the daily that “armed Hezbollah members stormed the airport premises and the VIP lounge without having permits from the Interior Ministry or Ministry of Foreign Affairs or airport security.” He added that such a step has actually damaged Hezbollah and the Resistance more than it did the state and its institutions.
The source also said that “ the Resistance has committed suicide and turned itself into a militia.”
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Moussawi: Hezbollah, MPs who received Sayyed represent Amal - September 19, 2010
An-Nahar newspaper quoted on Sunday Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Nawwaf Moussawi as saying that the Hezbollah delegation and the MPs who were present at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday to receive former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed represent Amal Movement and Speaker Nabih Berri.
Sayyed arrived to Beirut from Paris on Saturday.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Aoun requests an apology from Hariri - September 19, 2010
“I request [Prime Minister Saad] Hariri’s apology for his policy that has persecuted me for four years and distorted my reputation,” Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun told Al-Jazeera television on Saturday.
Aoun said that the March 8 coalition is not carrying out a coup, but “a political revolution on corruption and the attack on individuals’ rights.”
Last Tuesday, Aoun called on Lebanese citizens to not abide by requests from the Internal Security Forces (ISF)- Information Branch or Attorney General Said Mirza, adding that the state is falling and that “the judiciary is burning.”
Aoun reiterated his call for forming a parliamentary investigation committee to examine the actions of Attorney General Said Mirza, ISF Director General Achraf Rifi, and ISF-Information Branch head Wissam al-Hassan, and added that he is supporting former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed’s case because Sayyed was falsely accused.
In a press conference last week, Sayyed warned Hariri to “give me my right, [or] I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own hands.” He also called on the people to “revolt against authority and attack officials in their houses.”
Sayyed was detained from 2005 to 2009 on suspicion of involvement in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In April 2009, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) ordered his release due to lack of evidence.
“Those who want to kill do not reveal their intentions,” the MP said, in reference to Sayyed’s words to Hariri.
Aoun also said that the “STL is more than politicized” and that the national dialogue is futile.
Commenting on his position toward President Michel Sleiman, Aoun said “I did not [verbally] attack anyone, and I will not apologize.”
In a fiery speech earlier on September 5, Aoun criticized the government and asked what Sleiman “is doing after his constitutional speech besides weeping.
“[Retired Brigadier General Fayez] Karam does not know of the details of my relations with Hezbollah or any other ally,” the MP added.
Karam- an FPM official- was arrested on August 5 on charges of spying for Israel.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Sada Al-Balad: Summoning Sayyed is required by law - September 19, 2010
Sada Al-Balad newspaper quoted on Sunday a judicial source as saying that the judicial activity against former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed is required by the law and is not based on political positions.
An-Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday that Attorney General Judge Said Mirza summoned Sayyed “for questioning over the latter’s threats against the Lebanese state, judiciary, and Prime Minister Saad Hariri.”
Sayyed said last week that “[PM Hariri] should take a lie detector test to prove he did not support or fund false witnesses in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL),” investigating the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. The former General Security chief also vowed to take his right “with his own hands.”
Sayyed was detained from 2005 to 2009 on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. In April 2009, the STL ordered his release due to lack of evidence.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Ogassapian: Sayyed’s reception is a desecration of the airport - September 19, 2010
Minister of State Jean Ogassapian told Future News television on Sunday that the March 8 coalition, particularly Hezbollah’s, reception of former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed in Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport was a “desecration of the airport.”
Hezbollah issued a statement on Friday that Attorney General Judge Said Mirza’s request to summon Sayyed was “political par excellence” and called on the judiciary to revoke its decision.
In a press conference last week, Sayyed warned Hariri to “give me my right, [or] I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own hands.” He also called on the people to “revolt against authority and attack officials in their houses.”
Sayyed was detained from 2005 to 2009 on suspicion of involvement in the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. In April 2009, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) ordered his release due to lack of evidence.
“Does Hezbollah think that it is sending a message to [foreign countries] in order to affect the STL and [prevent] its indictment?” Ogassapian asked.
Ogassapian also said that there is neither a regional nor an Arab decision to change the government, and called for resolving issues within the state institutions.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Sahili: STL will not harm Hezbollah - September 19, 2010
In an interview with Sada al-Balad newspaper published on Sunday, Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Nawwar Sahili said that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will not harm Hezbollah, adding that those who want to use the tribunal to target the party will be harmed themselves.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in July that the STL is an Israeli project designed to target Hezbollah by stirring up sectarian strife in Lebanon.
“What concerns us is the country’s unity and interests,” the MP also said, adding that Hezbollah does not fear the tribunal.
Sahili said that Hezbollah will reveal the names of those involved in the matter of false witnesses in the investigation of the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri when the time is right. “Revealing the names at an inappropriate time would not lead to the desired aim, which is to maintain Lebanon’s unity,” he added.
Commenting on Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s expectation that Israel would wage a military attack against Lebanon this month, Sahili said that he does not think it is true.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Khalifeh: Issue of false witnesses was tackled with a positive attitude - September 19, 2010
Health Minister Mohammad Jawwad Khalifeh said that the Development and Liberation bloc along with the March 8 coalition representatives were met with a positive attitude in the cabinet when tackling the issue of witnesses who gave fake testimonies in the investigation of the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Sunday.
The cabinet delegated Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar on August 18 to follow up on the issue
Khalifeh called for resolving other issues in a similarly calm manner away from a tense political atmosphere.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Zahraman to Sayyed: What honor do you have left to swear on?- September 19, 2010
First bloc MP Khaled Zahraman issued a statement on Sunday asking, “what honor does [former General Security chief Jamil] as-Sayyed have left to swear on” after he broke his military oath?
In a press conference last week, Sayyed warned Prime Minister Saad Hariri to “give me my right, [or] I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own hands.”
Zahraman also criticized Hezbollah’s support of Sayyed, saying that this represents support of a coup and is an insult to former PM Rafik Hariri.
Hezbollah issued a statement on Friday that Attorney General Judge Said Mirza’s request to summon Sayyed was “political par excellence” and called on the judiciary to revoke the decision.
“We swear to Sayyed and those behind him that the martyrs’ blood will not go in vain,” Zahraman also said, adding that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) will continue its work until it reveals the truth.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Maalouf: Sayyed’s conditions are tantamount to cancelling state institutions - September 19, 2010
Lebanese Forces bloc MP Joseph Maalouf said in an exclusive interview with NOW Lebanon that former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed’s demands are tantamount to cancelling the state institutions’ work, or at least limiting their roles.
During a press conference held Saturday at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport upon his return from Paris, Sayyed said that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and its pending indictment will not be trustworthy until several figures including Internal Security Forces (ISF) Director General Achraf Rifi, ISF-Information Branch head Wissam al-Hassan and Attorney General Judge Said Mirza are imprisoned in the Hague or Lebanon.
The MP also rejected Hezbollah’s Friday statement because it criticizes the judiciary, adding that summoning Sayyed is normal after the statements he issued.
Hezbollah’s Friday statement said that Mirza’s request to summon Sayyed was “political par excellence” and called on the judiciary to revoke the decision.
In a press conference last week, Sayyed warned Prime Minister Saad Hariri to “give me my right, [or] I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own hands.”
Sayyed was detained from 2005 to 2009 on suspicion of involvement in the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. In April 2009, the STL ordered his release due to lack of evidence.
Now Lebanon - Armed militias took over airport to receive human rights abuser, Allouch says - September 19, 2010
Future Movement official Mustafa Allouch said in a press conference on Sunday that armed militias took over Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday to receive “one of the biggest abusers of security, freedom, and human rights in Lebanon’s history,” a reference to former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed.
Sayyed returned to Beirut from Paris on Saturday, days after Attorney General Judge Said Mirza summoned the former for questioning over his threatening speeches. Sayyed was received at the airport by a delegation that reportedly included members of Hezbollah and other March 8 coalition parties.
There is no turning back from the STL because it has been chosen by the people to put an end to political assassinations, Allouch also said.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Sayyed should have been arrested at the airport, Rahhal says - September 19, 2010
Security agencies should have arrested and questioned former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed upon his return to Beirut on Saturday, but instead he was “appointed as a second secretary general to Hezbollah,” Lebanon First bloc MP Riyad Rahhal said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Sayyed returned to Beirut from Paris on Saturday, days after Attorney General Judge Said Mirza summoned the former for questioning over his threatening speeches. He was received at the airport by a delegation that reportedly included members of Hezbollah and other March 8 coalition parties.
In a statement issued on Friday, Hezbollah called on the judiciary to revoke Mirza’s decision to summon Sayyed “for questioning over [Sayyed’s] threats against the Lebanese state, judiciary, and Prime Minister Saad Hariri.”
On September 12, Sayyed warned Hariri to “give me my right, [or] I swear on my honor that I [will] take it with my own hands.” He also called on the Lebanese people to “revolt against authority and attack officials in their houses.”
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Lawyer: Mirza summoned Sayyed in official capacity on behalf of public interest
Attorney General Said Mirza took judicial procedures against former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed in his official capacity on behalf of the public interest, former head of the Tripoli Lawyers Syndicate Rashid Darbas argued in a legal brief issued on Sunday.
Mirza summoned Sayyed for questioning at Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar’s request after Sayyed said on September 12 that “[Prime Minister Saad Hariri] should take a lie detector test to prove he did not support or fund false witnesses in the STL.” The former General Security chief also threatened to take his right “with his own hands” if Hariri did not give it to him.
Sayyed has argued that Mirza is not legally qualified to take judicial action against him because Mirza is one of several Lebanese and Syrian public figures named as defendants in a lawsuit Sayyed filed in Damascus in December 2009.
The Criminal Courts Code empowers the Justice Minister to request the Attorney General to undertake litigation in the public interest, Darbas added.
Now Lebanon - Judiciary cannot ignore Sayyed’s request, source says - September 19, 2010
The judiciary cannot ignore former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed’s request that Attorney General Said Mirza be disqualified from his post, Al-Manar television quoted an anonymous legal source as saying on Sunday.
Sayyed has argued that Mirza is not legally qualified to take judicial action against him because Mirza is one of several Lebanese and Syrian public figures named as defendants in a lawsuit Sayyed filed in Damascus in December 2009.
Mirza summoned Sayyed for questioning at Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar’s request after Sayyed said on September 12 that “[Prime Minister Saad Hariri] should take a lie detector test to prove he did not support or fund false witnesses in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).” The former General Security chief also threatened to take his right “with his own hands” if Hariri did not give it to him.
“Lebanese law clearly allows a request for the disqualification of a judge who is an adversary in a particular case,” the source added.
The source also said that “among the immediate ramifications of this principle is that Mirza should stop any direct involvement in [Sayyed’s] case in order to wait for the decision on Sayyed’s request.”
In a legal brief issued earlier on Sunday, former Tripoli Lawyers Syndicate head Rashid Darbas argued that Mirza took judicial procedures against Sayyed in his official capacity on behalf of the public interest.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Sayyed’s reception sent a message on STL indictment, source says - September 19, 2010
Hezbollah’s protection of former General Security head Jamil as-Sayyed upon his arrival at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday was a “double message domestically and abroad... that if the Lebanese security and judicial authorities cannot bring Sayyed before the judiciary while he is in Beirut, how can they bring any accused Hezbollah member to the Hague?” MTV reported an anonymous source close to Hezbollah as saying on Sunday.
In July, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said that the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)—based near the Hague—is an Israeli project and will indict Hezbollah members.
The AFP reported that Sayyed was accompanied from the airport by armed Hezbollah bodyguards when he returned to Beirut on Saturday after a short visit to France.
Attorney General Judge Said Mirza summoned Sayyed for questioning at Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar’s request after Sayyed said on September 12 that “[Prime Minister Saad Hariri] should take a lie detector test to prove he did not support or fund false witnesses in the STL.” The former General Security chief also threatened to take his right “with his own hands” if Hariri did not give it to him.
-NOW Lebanon
Now Lebanon - Zahra: March 8 statements aim to bring down STL - September 18, 2010
Lebanese Forces bloc MP Antoine Zahra said that the statements of March 8 coalition figures aim to bring down the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and the legitimate constitutional Lebanese institutions, according to a statement issued by the MP’s office on Saturday.
Hezbollah stands behind former General Security chief Jamil as-Sayyed’s statements, Zahra said, adding that “they are the ones trying to quell the institutions’ [work].”
His comment comes in response to Hezbollah’s Friday statement that Attorney General Judge Said Mirza’s request to summon Sayyed was “political par excellence.”
The former General Security chief said on Sunday that “[PM Saad Hariri] should take a lie detector test to prove he did not support or fund false witnesses in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL),” the court investigating the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri. Sayyed also vowed to take his rights “with his own hands.”
Sayyed was detained from 2005 to 2009 on suspicion of involvement in the Rafik Hariri murder. In April 2009, the STL ordered his release due to lack of evidence.
Those who seek to cause tension in the country to make everyone know that they are above the law are carrying out a coup, Zahra added.
