Francine: 58 of victims will be involved in court proceedings

The Pre-Trial Judge has determined that 58 of the 73 victims of the 14 February 2005 attack who applied to do so can now participate in the Ayyash et al. proceedings.      

Judge Daniel Fransen has reviewed the 73 applications he has received, 15 of which were deemed to be incomplete. The PreTrial judge has said that he would require additional information before granting the incomplete applications.      

Having thoroughly reviewed the applications of the 58 successful applicants, Judge Fransen has found no reason to divide the victims into different groups. In his decision, Judge Fransen said that he is "required to ensure that the proceedings are not unduly delayed, and to take any measures necessary to prepare the case for a fair and expeditious trial."        

According to the Tribunal's Rules, it is now up to the Registrar to designate a legal representative to represent the victims during trial, and as many co-counsel as the Registrar feels is appropriate to assist the legal representative.      

Although Judge Fransen's decision is public, the names and identities of the victims will continue to remain confidential unless and until there is a further court order to the contrary.          

Victims of the 14 February 2005 attack who have not yet applied to participate in the proceedings can still apply through the Tribunal's Victim Participation Unit. All future applications will also be subject to review by the Pre-Trial Judge.