The United Nations Secretary-General has officially shut down the tribunal established to investigate the murder of Rafik Hariri

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has concluded the operations of an international court established to investigate the 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri, former Prime Minister of Lebanon, as announced by the U.N. spokesperson.

Over its tenure, the U.N.-sponsored Special Tribunal for Lebanon, located in The Hague, Netherlands, conducted trials in absentia. It convicted three Hezbollah members – Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, and Hussein Hassan Oneissi – in relation to Hariri’s murder in a significant truck bombing on February 14, 2005. The tribunal sentenced each of them to five life sentences to be served concurrently.

Hezbollah has consistently denied any involvement of its members in the bombing, which resulted in the death of Hariri and 21 others, and injured 226 people. The tribunal’s judges stated they found no evidence of Hezbollah’s leadership or Syrian involvement in the attack, though they noted it occurred amid discussions by Hariri and his allies about urging Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric revealed in a statement that the Special Tribunal was set up following a 2007 Security Council resolution and also covered investigations into other attacks linked to Hariri’s assassination.

In early 2023, Guterres extended the tribunal’s mandate to December 31, with the specific aim of completing non-judicial residual tasks and ensuring an orderly closure. On Sunday, he acknowledged that these objectives had been met, leading to the shutdown of the tribunal.

Dujarric conveyed Guterres’ profound gratitude for the commitment and efforts of the tribunal’s judges and staff over the years. He also acknowledged the support from the Lebanese government, the Netherlands for hosting the tribunal, and the member states involved in the tribunal’s management committee.