NNA - The Prosecution today started presenting evidence in the Ayyash et al. case before the Trial Chamber at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. This follows the opening statements by the Prosecution, the Legal Representatives for the Victims, and counsel for Mr. Badreddine and Mr. Oneissi



Salim Jamil Ayyash, Mustafa Amine Badreddine, Hussein Hassan Oneissi and Assad Hassan Sabra stand accused of various crimes under Article 2 of the STL Statute and the Lebanese Criminal Code for their alleged role as co-conspirators in the 14 February 2005 attack that killed 22 individuals, including the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, and injured 226 others.



The Prosecution will present the Ayyash et al. case in three parts. The first part, which opened today, concerns the events of 14 February 2005 while the second and third sections relate to telecommunications evidence.



In the next few days, seven witnesses will testify in person and one via video teleconference. The written statements of 23 witnesses have been admitted as evidence thus far.



Members of the public and the press are invited to attend the court sessions. Journalists who are accredited to cover the trial are not required to submit new forms. All trial hearings are open to the public, but the Trial Chamber may decide to go into closed session if confidential matters need to be discussed.


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