Has justice been served in the assassination of Rafik Hariri?
Hezbollah member found guilty of massive bomb blast in Lebanon’s capital Beirut 15 years ago.
It was a long-awaited verdict after an investigation that cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Fifteen years after the assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the UN-backed international tribunal near The Hague convicted Salim Ayyash, a member of Hezbollah.
Three other defendants belonging to the group were acquitted. All four were tried in absentia.
Hezbollah denies any involvement in the massive 2005 bomb blast in Beirut that also killed 21 other people.
Judges said Hezbollah and its allies in the Syrian leadership may have had motives to “eliminate” Hariri, but they lacked direct evidence implicating them in the crime.
So, how will the murder verdict be received when tension in Lebanon is already high?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra
Guests:
Rami Khouri – senior public policy fellow and professor of journalism at the American University in Beirut
Firas Maksad – adjunct professor, George Washington University
Elias Hanna – retired Lebanese army general