STL spokesman says trial in case of al-Jadeed and al-Akhbar will occur before an independent judge

The spokesman for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Martin Youssef said on Wednesday that the trial in the case of the journalists of al-Jadeed TV and al-Akhbar Newspaper is a judicial process, which means that this matter will occur before an independent judge.

During a regular Q&A session via twitter, Youssef added that one of the key aspects of ensuring a fair trial is guaranteeing that Prosecution and Defense witnesses can testify without being intimidated.

In this regard, he explained that “the contempt decision noted two incidents that compromised identities of purported Lebanese witnesses and impacted their security.”

Last week, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon subpoenaed Karma Mohamed Tahsin al Khayat from Al-Jadeed TV, as well as the station's parent company New TV S.A.L., to appear before the STL on two counts of Contempt and Obstruction of Justice.

Ibrahim Mohamed Al Amin from Al Akhbar, as well as the newspaper's parent company Akhbar Beirut S.A.L. have also been summoned on one count of Contempt and Obstruction of Justice.

The accused are being charged under Rule 60 bis (A) of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence and all the charges relate to the Ayyash et al. case.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was set up by the United Nations at the Lebanese government's request to try the alleged perpetrators of the 2005 bombing in which former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others were killed.