The image of the two young children of the late young Lebanese minister Pierre Gemayel at the commemoration of the martyrdom of their father, who was a victim of a hateful crime, reminds us of the series of crimes that have stricken Lebanese families. Don’t these children, mothers and wives have the right to know who killed their father, sons and husbands, and what lay behind these brutal crimes? There is great pain in people’s hearts, and we can only wait for the investigation by Canadian prosecutor Daniel Bellemare to reveal who was behind the many assassinations, which began with the attempt on Minister Marwan Hamade and included the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and Minister Basil Fleihan and their comrades, Samir Kassir, Gebran Tueni, Wissam Eid, Walid Eido and his son, and the list goes on.
Today, before the Lebanese people go to sleep and awake to the news and media leaks about the indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), and what was written by this or that journalist in Der Spiegel, or what the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) has aired, there is a prosecutor in The Hague who is working far away from the media commotion, and all of the leaks and everything said about the politicization of his work. He is making efforts to bring together the tangible evidence to complete his investigation; the speculation and media proposals do not concern him. Bellemare wants to arrive at a result, not only for the sake of his reputation, or for political reasons, as some accuse him of, but for the sake of the families of those who were killed, and for the people of Lebanon and their future. Those who know Bellemare realize that he is completely distant from getting involved in the politics of states, even if he is completely famliar with developments in the country. He wants to verify the results of his investigations because he is aware of the importance of the truth and justice for the memory of a nation that has long seen political crimes in which those who committed them remain unknown; the crimes have continued because those who carried them out remained in the dark.
The truth is important for every citizen, even if international punishment, unfortunately for the cause of justice, often turns into political bargains and settlements. Bellemare is concerned with finding the truth, accusing criminals, and asking for their punishment, while the appearance by the accused before the judiciary is another matter. And unfortunately for true justice, we have often seen accusations and trials become compromises and international deals. Libya was accused of blowing up two planes full of American and French civilians, although verdicts were later issued, to either let the perpetrators go, or allow others to avoid appearing before the French judiciary.
Colonel Moammad Qaddhafi paid money to the families of the victims and afterwards, western countries set out the red carpet and tents for him. They all received him, while his relative, who is wanted by Interpol, continues to move around with him. The Shiites in Lebanon are asking for the truth about the disappearance of the Imam Musa Sadr. How can they ask for truth in this case and condemn the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, investigating the Rafik Hariri assassination?
President Omar Bashir of Sudan, meanwhile, is also facing an international arrest warrant, while he moves between one Arab country to another with no problem.
It is possible to doubt the efficacy of international punishment because the situation in more than one case demonstrates this. However, the truth is something else. It is the responsibility of prosecutor Bellemare to arrive at decisive evidence that allows the Lebanese people to learn who the killers are, and why they did it. Memory, in the history of a country, is essential for its survival and its people. All of the speculation and rumors that are published daily about the STL are untrue.
The truth is what Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare will announce after he sends the document to the judge for verification. Today, who knows if we are on the brink of an indictment? Who says that it is further off? No one knows what Bellemare and his team have, whatever is said or written by the newspapers. The attack on the STL and the threats to change the situation in Lebanon are useless, because Bellemare’s work cannot be canceled out, or forbidden from arriving at the truth that is sought by everyone who lost their young people and children. The punishment, meanwhile, is another matter. Justice is responsible for trying the accused, even if in absentia, as in the case of the French UTA plane. However, the question remains: will the actual accused in the Hariri assassination and a string of killings appear before the international tribunal? It is a very difficult wager, when the game of nations concerned with protecting regimes comes into play, as it did in the case of Libya.
Today, before the Lebanese people go to sleep and awake to the news and media leaks about the indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), and what was written by this or that journalist in Der Spiegel, or what the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) has aired, there is a prosecutor in The Hague who is working far away from the media commotion, and all of the leaks and everything said about the politicization of his work. He is making efforts to bring together the tangible evidence to complete his investigation; the speculation and media proposals do not concern him. Bellemare wants to arrive at a result, not only for the sake of his reputation, or for political reasons, as some accuse him of, but for the sake of the families of those who were killed, and for the people of Lebanon and their future. Those who know Bellemare realize that he is completely distant from getting involved in the politics of states, even if he is completely famliar with developments in the country. He wants to verify the results of his investigations because he is aware of the importance of the truth and justice for the memory of a nation that has long seen political crimes in which those who committed them remain unknown; the crimes have continued because those who carried them out remained in the dark.
The truth is important for every citizen, even if international punishment, unfortunately for the cause of justice, often turns into political bargains and settlements. Bellemare is concerned with finding the truth, accusing criminals, and asking for their punishment, while the appearance by the accused before the judiciary is another matter. And unfortunately for true justice, we have often seen accusations and trials become compromises and international deals. Libya was accused of blowing up two planes full of American and French civilians, although verdicts were later issued, to either let the perpetrators go, or allow others to avoid appearing before the French judiciary.
Colonel Moammad Qaddhafi paid money to the families of the victims and afterwards, western countries set out the red carpet and tents for him. They all received him, while his relative, who is wanted by Interpol, continues to move around with him. The Shiites in Lebanon are asking for the truth about the disappearance of the Imam Musa Sadr. How can they ask for truth in this case and condemn the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, investigating the Rafik Hariri assassination?
President Omar Bashir of Sudan, meanwhile, is also facing an international arrest warrant, while he moves between one Arab country to another with no problem.
It is possible to doubt the efficacy of international punishment because the situation in more than one case demonstrates this. However, the truth is something else. It is the responsibility of prosecutor Bellemare to arrive at decisive evidence that allows the Lebanese people to learn who the killers are, and why they did it. Memory, in the history of a country, is essential for its survival and its people. All of the speculation and rumors that are published daily about the STL are untrue.
The truth is what Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare will announce after he sends the document to the judge for verification. Today, who knows if we are on the brink of an indictment? Who says that it is further off? No one knows what Bellemare and his team have, whatever is said or written by the newspapers. The attack on the STL and the threats to change the situation in Lebanon are useless, because Bellemare’s work cannot be canceled out, or forbidden from arriving at the truth that is sought by everyone who lost their young people and children. The punishment, meanwhile, is another matter. Justice is responsible for trying the accused, even if in absentia, as in the case of the French UTA plane. However, the question remains: will the actual accused in the Hariri assassination and a string of killings appear before the international tribunal? It is a very difficult wager, when the game of nations concerned with protecting regimes comes into play, as it did in the case of Libya.
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