BEIRUT: Protected witness PRH 416 returned to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Thursday to testify on his identification of Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine. Prosecution counsel Marc Dessaliers questioned the witness on statements made previously regarding the identification of Sami Issa, contended to be one of the many aliases used by Badreddine.
PRH 416 has made several appearances throughout the trial and was once again summoned to the stand to revisit the photos and videos used in the identification process.
Dessaliers delved into how the witness had identified Badreddine/Issa. “On Friday Dec. 4, 2015, you told the trial chamber that [something] about his eyes made you feel like it was Sami Issa. ... Is this how you recognized him?” The witness responded, “No, this is a picture of him, this is how [he looked when] I used to see him.”
PRH 416 went on to detail an interview in July where he identified photos of Issa. “[Investigators] called me [and] told me they were going to ask me a few questions. They showed me a few pictures and they asked me if I knew who any of the people were,” PRH 416 said.
“It was the first time I had seen those photos. I was surprised when I first saw the pictures because [Issa] was in a military outfit. It was the first time I saw him in that appearance.” The prosecution queried this answer as the video clip of Badreddine in fatigues had come from footage widely broadcast in the media. But the witness maintained it was the first time he had seen the suspect in a “military outfit.”
Despite his recent death, Badreddine/Issa has remained at the center of the trial of five suspects for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others in 2005. A top Hezbollah commander in Syria, Badreddine was reported deceased near Damascus airport in May, leading to a halt in legal proceedings against him.
Sessions at the tribunal will resume Monday Dec. 4.
PRH 416 has made several appearances throughout the trial and was once again summoned to the stand to revisit the photos and videos used in the identification process.
Dessaliers delved into how the witness had identified Badreddine/Issa. “On Friday Dec. 4, 2015, you told the trial chamber that [something] about his eyes made you feel like it was Sami Issa. ... Is this how you recognized him?” The witness responded, “No, this is a picture of him, this is how [he looked when] I used to see him.”
PRH 416 went on to detail an interview in July where he identified photos of Issa. “[Investigators] called me [and] told me they were going to ask me a few questions. They showed me a few pictures and they asked me if I knew who any of the people were,” PRH 416 said.
“It was the first time I had seen those photos. I was surprised when I first saw the pictures because [Issa] was in a military outfit. It was the first time I saw him in that appearance.” The prosecution queried this answer as the video clip of Badreddine in fatigues had come from footage widely broadcast in the media. But the witness maintained it was the first time he had seen the suspect in a “military outfit.”
Despite his recent death, Badreddine/Issa has remained at the center of the trial of five suspects for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others in 2005. A top Hezbollah commander in Syria, Badreddine was reported deceased near Damascus airport in May, leading to a halt in legal proceedings against him.
Sessions at the tribunal will resume Monday Dec. 4.
Source & Link : The Daily Star
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