LEIDSCHENDAM – The tribunal set up to try the killers of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafiq Hariri insisted on Tuesday 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 schools were closed in Beirut after dozens of young men appeared on the streets, prompting fears of violence. “Several schools asked parents to come and collect their children after groups of 60 or 70 unarmed young men appeared early this morning in each of several neighbourhoods of west Beirut where Hezbollah and Amal have a presence,” a security official told AFP, referring to the two main Shiite parties in Lebanon. 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. Hezbollah, 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.
