STL acquitted itself of politicization charges… convicting the perpetrator alone will not deter his criminal mastermind

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) dropped all the charges of politicization against it by not indicting Hezbollah or the Syrian regime for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, despite convicting one of Hezbollah’s commanders, Salim Ayyash, of perpetrating this terrorist crime, and asserting that the other commander Mustafa Badreddine coordinated with Ayyash in the assassination crime.

Therefore, if Hezbollah is really convinced of its innocence, this is the opportunity for collaborating with the international tribunal, bringing out Ayyash, and appealing to prove his criminal innocence and Hezbollah’s political innocence. Otherwise, the political charge against it will be deeply rooted in the minds of Lebanese, and its serious implications will threaten the social contract and the coexistence of Lebanon’s multiple components. This political charge will fuel again the tendency towards embracing destructive secessionist schemes.

Commenting on the international tribunal’s decision, this court did not find evidence revealing the identity of the political entity that ordered the assassination, although the STL hinted at it throughout the judgement pronouncement. This will remain a major weakness because the real perpetrator would have enjoyed impunity, and would not be deterred from repeating its crimes in the future, in its battle to change the political landscape, by means of force, violence, crime, intimidation, and terror.

Consequently, in order to put an end to this serial killing, the only remaining hope is the victory of the October 17 revolution, along with its fundamental principles of establishing democracy as the only means to resolve disputes, guaranteeing the real and genuine sovereignty away from any adherence to international axes, building the civil state, and promoting the citizenship, to repel all those exploiting sectarianism and confessionalism.