International Tribunal for Lebanon to Try Journalists for Leaks

BEIRUT

Journalists covering an international investigation into the assassination of Lebanons ex-prime minister, Rafik Hariri, will find themselves testifying this week, prompting a debate over the Special Tribunal for Lebanons reach and the limits of free speech.

For the past six years, the court has sought to find and prosecute the culprits behind the Hariri assassination. Hariri was one of a number of high-profile critics of the Syrian regime to be assassinated at the time. He and 21 others were killed by a huge car bomb in 2005 on a Beirut street.

On Thursday, the tribunal begins a trial for journalists and news outlets it claims have undermined its investigation by revealing details about witnesses in the case.

Freedom of speech

Among the accused set to stand trial is well-known journalist Karma al-Khayat and her employer Al Jadeed TV. Al-Khayat is accused of contempt of court alongside Hezbollah-leaning newspaper Al-Akhbar and the papers co-founder, Ibrahim Al-Amin.

Al-Khayat, like Al-Amin, has pleaded not guilty and denies the broadcasts undermined the efforts of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

We believe this is a trial about freedom of speech, she told VOA. "By putting us on trial, they are trying to shut us up and teach a lesson to all other media in Lebanon.

Divisive role

Based in The Hague and established by the United Nations Security Council at the request of the Lebanese government, the tribunal is trying in absentia five members of Hezbollah for complicity in the assassination. Hezbollah has refused to acknowledge the tribunal or hand over its members to the court, which it claims is politically driven.

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International Tribunal for Lebanon to Try Journalists for Leaks