Naharnet - Bellemare: CBC Report May Put People's Lives in Jeopardy - November 23, 2010

The Prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is extremely disappointed about the recent reports of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), broadcast at a time when the Office of the Prosecutor is working flat out to ensure that a draft indictment is submitted to the Pre-Trial Judge for confirmation in the near future, the OTP said in a press release on Tuesday.
"The Office of the Prosecutor's decision not to comment on matters relating to the investigation will not change. This decision is based on considerations of utmost concern for the integrity of the investigation and the safety of victims, witnesses, suspects and staff," the press release added.

"The most serious impact of the CBC reports is that their broadcast may put people's lives in jeopardy," it quoted STL Prosecutor Danielle Bellemare as saying.

Bellemare noted that "it will be for the Judges, and the Judges alone, to assess the evidence and reach conclusions based on the facts as established at trial, and the law."

The OTP announced that it was assessing the impact of these reports on the investigation.

"Whatever the challenges faced in this investigation, which has been conducted in extremely difficult circumstances, the staff of the Office of the Prosecutor remain committed to bringing it to a successful conclusion," Bellemare stressed, according to OTP's press release.