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Salim Jamil Ayyash was sentenced Friday by the International Tribunal for Lebanon to five life sentences for conspiring to assassinate former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in the 2005 bombing.
“The Trial Chamber considers that the maximum penalty for each of the five offenses, which is life imprisonment, should be imposed at the same time,” Australian Judge David Rhee said while reading the ruling.
It added that Ayyash, whom the prosecution describes as a military leader in Lebanese Hezbollah, committed a terrorist act that led to a mass slaughter, indicating that he played a vital role in the success of the bombing operation that targeted the convoy. of the late former Lebanese prime minister in central Beirut on February 14. 2005.
For her part, Judge Janet Nosworthy described Ayyash’s crimes as extremely dangerous and explained that she played a key role in the attack.
On August 18, the court convicted Ayyash on 5 counts; It includes involvement in the murder of Hariri and 21 other people, and he was tried in absentia and never appeared before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, nor was he arrested in his country in this case.
In that session, the court said that the evidence proves Ayyash’s involvement in the murder of Hariri intentionally and premeditatedly, while the court did not prove any evidence that the defendants, Asad Sabra and Hussein Oneissi, were involved in the murder. of Hariri.
At that time, the court also acquitted the other defendant, Hassan Mari, of the charge of coordinating the murder, and said that the defense of those convicted had one month to respond to the verdict or request an appeal. (Read more about the personality of Salim Ayyash and the charges brought against him by the Special Court.)
Disdainful attitude
On the other hand, the Lebanese Hezbollah today expressed its rejection of what it described as the absence of uniform standards in the prosecution of acting Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers in the case of the Beirut port explosion, which occurred on August 4. .
The party said, in a statement, that the absence of uniform standards in the examining magistrate’s approach has led to what the party believes to be a political target of people and ignoring others.
And Hezbollah asked the judge to re-address the record and take steps to get to the truth with unified standards away from politicization.
For his part, Diab indicated in a statement that he would not allow the prime minister’s position to be attacked by any party.
The judicial investigator in the Beirut port bombing file, Judge Fadi Sawan, had indicted Acting Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers for the crime of negligence and negligence, and causing the death and injury of hundreds of people. .
Judge Sawan set the start of next week as the date for questioning them as defendants.
Reuters reported that the other three ministers are former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil and former Minister of Public Works Ghazi Zuaiter and Youssef Fenianos.
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