The Daily Star
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BEIRUT/SIDON: Lebanon’s legal community and judiciary gathered Wednesday to mark the 12th anniversary of the assassination of four magistrates in Sidon, as government officials admitted that investigations into the crime have seen no progress.On June 8, 1999, judges Hassan Othman, Walid Harmoush, Assem Bou Daher and Imad Shehab were attending a session of the trial of two Iraqis and a Palestinian at the South Lebanon Criminal Court at the old Justice Palace in Sidon, when two individuals opened fire through the rear window of the courtroom, killing the judges and wounding five others.
Caretaker Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar, members of the Higher Judicial Council, a number of lawyers and members of the judges’ families attended a ceremony held at the Justice Palace in Beirut Wednesday to commemorate their lives.
Speaking at the ceremony, Najjar said it was time to uncover those behind the crime but added that no progress had been made in investigations of the case.
“There is nothing to mention in regard to this case so far, but this situation cannot continue,” Najjar said.
Despite promises from judicial figures over the years to find those responsible for the crime and bring them to justice, the perpetrators of the crime remain unknown.
State Prosecutor Said Mirza declined to respond to reporters’ inquiries over whether progress was being made in the investigations, arguing that the secrecy of investigations prohibited him from disclosing any information.
For her part, Beirut Bar Association head Amal Haddad urged the authorities to work toward concluding the investigations and trying the criminals, while Tripoli Bar Association head Bassam Dayeh expressed his hope that the assailants would be arrested and held to account for their crimes.
The assailants were believed to have fled to the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp to escape arrest, although investigations were unable to prove a firm connection between camp residents and the crime.
The ceremony at Beirut’s Justice Palace coincided with another at Sidon’s new Justice Palace, which was attended by judicial officials from south Lebanon.
The head of the Criminal Court in south Lebanon, Judge Roula Jadayel, said those behind the assassination of the judges had sought to undermine the authority of Lebanon’s judiciary, but failed to accomplish their objective.
Hopes of discovering a lead in the case of the slain judges rose following last year’s arrest by Lebanese Army intelligence of Palestinian Wissam Tehaibesh, who was suspected of being involved in a number of incidents that occurred during the same time as the judges were assassinated.
However, further investigations revealed no link.
Caretaker Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar, members of the Higher Judicial Council, a number of lawyers and members of the judges’ families attended a ceremony held at the Justice Palace in Beirut Wednesday to commemorate their lives.
Speaking at the ceremony, Najjar said it was time to uncover those behind the crime but added that no progress had been made in investigations of the case.
“There is nothing to mention in regard to this case so far, but this situation cannot continue,” Najjar said.
Despite promises from judicial figures over the years to find those responsible for the crime and bring them to justice, the perpetrators of the crime remain unknown.
State Prosecutor Said Mirza declined to respond to reporters’ inquiries over whether progress was being made in the investigations, arguing that the secrecy of investigations prohibited him from disclosing any information.
For her part, Beirut Bar Association head Amal Haddad urged the authorities to work toward concluding the investigations and trying the criminals, while Tripoli Bar Association head Bassam Dayeh expressed his hope that the assailants would be arrested and held to account for their crimes.
The assailants were believed to have fled to the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp to escape arrest, although investigations were unable to prove a firm connection between camp residents and the crime.
The ceremony at Beirut’s Justice Palace coincided with another at Sidon’s new Justice Palace, which was attended by judicial officials from south Lebanon.
The head of the Criminal Court in south Lebanon, Judge Roula Jadayel, said those behind the assassination of the judges had sought to undermine the authority of Lebanon’s judiciary, but failed to accomplish their objective.
Hopes of discovering a lead in the case of the slain judges rose following last year’s arrest by Lebanese Army intelligence of Palestinian Wissam Tehaibesh, who was suspected of being involved in a number of incidents that occurred during the same time as the judges were assassinated.
However, further investigations revealed no link.
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