The Daily Star - Sidon’s 4 slain judges remembered - June 07, 2011

By Mohammed Zaatari

The Daily Star SIDON, Lebanon: As they prepare to mark 12 years since the loss of their loved ones, the families of the four judges slain in Sidon still know little about the crime, while government officials admit that the investigations have seen no progress. On June 8, 1999, judges Hassan Uthman, Walid Harmoush, Assem Bu Daher and Imad Shehab were attending a session during the trial of two Iraqis and a Palestinian in the South Lebanon Criminal Court at the old Justice Palace in Sidon, when two individuals opened fire through the rear window of the court room, killing the judges and wounding five others. Despite promises made by judicial figures to work for the truth behind their assassination, the judiciary has failed to uncover the details of the crime. Caretaker Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said that no progress had been made regarding investigations. “There is nothing so far, zero,” Najjar told The Daily Star. “The Internal Security Forces should be asked about this matter.” “I have asked General Prosecutor Saieed Mirza about the matter and he told me that he had no new elements,” added Najjar. The minister said he had no information on what obstacles are impeding the investigations. In a telephone conversation with The Daily Star, Mirza denied the presence of any obstacles or delay in the probe, but refused to elaborate on the matter. Two ceremonies will be held in memory of the slain judges Wednesday, one at 10 a.m. at the Justice Palace of Beirut and another at Sidon’s new Justice Palace at 11:30 a.m. When asked about the matter, a senior judge who declined to give his name said that no advances had been made in the case, despite the passing of time. “What can I say? … One of the reasons that I am not making any [attributed] statement regarding this matter is the fact there has been no advance in the case despite the fact that the crime occurred 12 years ago,” he said. A member of one of the victims' families told The Daily Star that the family was fed up with the promises of achieving progress in investigations every year, adding that “the children of martyrs are growing up and making their own lives, hoping that the truth will be unveiled one day.” As the case has been neglected, more recent crimes and political instability have overshadowed it. The only progress was made when Rashid Mezher, then a judicial investigator, ordered security forces to gather information about two individuals belonging to a non-Lebanese organization. But the Islamist movement Osbat al-Ansar, based in Ain al-Hilweh, which was suspected to have been involved in crime, denied responsibility for the killings immediately afterward. Hopes of discovering a lead in the case increased recently, following the arrest of Wissam Tehaibesh by the Lebanese Army intelligence. He was suspected of involvement in a number of security incidents which occurred during the same time as the judges were assassinated, but investigations revealed no links to the killings.