PICTURES Suspects in Lebanese Premier’s Death Released
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By ROBERT F. WORTH BEIRUT, Lebanon — A judge ordered the release of four high-ranking Lebanese security officials on Wednesday, all being held here in connection with the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The decision was seen here as a blow to the political movement led by Mr. Hariri’s son.

The judge, Daniel Fransen, said there was not enough evidence to keep holding the four men, who have been detained without charge since September 2005 and are widely believed to have had some knowledge of the killing or involvement in it. They were the only suspects in the custody of the international tribunal based in The Hague that was formed under United Nations auspices after Mr. Hariri’s death in a powerful car bombing on Feb. 14, 2005.

The announcement was met with wild volleys of celebratory gunfire from the generals’ supporters in Beirut and in the southern suburb that is the stronghold of Hezbollah, Mr. Hariri’s political adversary.

“Some Lebanese are not relieved by this decision,” said Saad Hariri, the former prime minister’s son, grim-faced during a news conference here after the decision. But he added that he welcomed any decision from the tribunal in The Hague. He also said releasing the generals would disprove recurring accusations that the tribunal was politicized in favor of Mr. Hariri’s allies.

The four — Jamil Sayyed, Ali Hajj, Raymond Azar, and Mustafa Hamdan — directed the chief security and intelligence services and the presidential guard. They were widely seen as henchmen for Syria, which occupied Lebanon militarily for three decades. Widely believed to have ordered Rafik Hariri’s killing, Syria was forced out of Lebanon under local and international pressure a few months later.

The decision in The Hague comes just seven weeks before a crucial parliamentary election here in which Saad Hariri and his political allies, now in the majority, are facing an alliance led by Hezbollah. Many here believe the tribunal’s decision could cut into Mr. Hariri’s votes by spreading the impression that Syria would escape being brought to account for the assassination of his father and be emboldened to rebuild its influence here.

Lebanese officials had lobbied to have the decision delayed until after the elections, but tribunal judicial figures refused, saying they could not take political considerations into account, said a senior court official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the court’s inner workings.

The first prosecutor in the case, Detlev Mehlis, released a report in 2005 that the assassination was planned by high-level Syrian and Lebanese officials, including some in the inner circle of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. At the time, the tribunal was widely seen as a vehicle for the widespread anger here and in the West over Syria’s role in Lebanon. A string of other political assassinations took place in the following years, and they could still be included as part of the tribunal’s work if they are proved to be related to Rafik Hariri’s killing, in which 22 others also died.

The tribunal has always been controversial in Lebanon. Many supporters have seen it as a way to punish Syria and its proxies here, which they tend to blame for all the assassinations since 2005. By contrast, those in the political opposition — including Hezbollah — see it more as a political weapon aimed at their Syrian ally. They also ask why such a tribunal is warranted for a billionaire politician and not for the victims of the many massacres and assassinations that have taken place here in recent decades.

Disagreements over the tribunal led to a walkout by opposition cabinet ministers in late 2006, setting off a political showdown that crippled Lebanon’s government for 18 months and led it to the brink of another civil war.

Recently, the tribunal appears to have moved more slowly, and the prosecutors who followed Mr. Mehlis have not named any suspects. A key witness retracted a statement that implicated the four generals, undermining the case against them. Their release became almost inevitable after two senior investigators with the tribunal reported that there was not enough evidence to hold the men. The tribunal gained jurisdiction over them when it formally opened on March 1.

The tribunal’s prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, emphasized that the case was bigger than the four generals, who could be called as witnesses or even rearrested if more evidence is found. Tribunal officials have said that indictments could be issued later this year.

But many Lebanese seemed to view the generals’ release as a sign that the tribunal might never bring Mr. Hariri’s killers to justice.

“It is a shock,” said Samir Frangieh, one of Mr. Hariri’s parliamentary allies. “Everyone knows who these men were and what they did.” In contrast was the current of joy among the generals’ allies, including former president Émile Lahoud, who sent an entourage to the prison to greet Mr. Hamdan, his former bodyguard. At the home of Mr. Sayyed, supporters shouted and hugged each other as news of his impending release was announced.

“We want the truth behind Hariri’s killing,” said Faisal Hamdan, Mr. Sayyed’s brother-in-law, echoing a phrase used by Mr. Hariri’s own supporters to promote their demands for justice. “We want the truth as it really is.”

Hwaida Saad contributed reporting from Beirut, and Marlise Simons from The Hague.

 

By NADA RAAD

BEIRUT -- Lebanon freed four generals held since the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, after a prosecutor in an international tribunal on the assassination said there was insufficient evidence for their trial and a judge ordered their release.

The pro-Syrian generals had been held for suspected involvement in the suicide bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others in Beirut. The assassination sparked street protests that led to the end of Syria's military occupation of Lebanon.

U.N. investigators linked the bombing to the Syrian intelligence service, a charge Damascus has denied.

The announcement, made by Judge Daniel Fransen in a news conference broadcast live by Lebanese television channels, was greeted with celebrations and fireworks in different parts of the country.

One of the four generals, former head of general security Maj. Gen. Jamil al Sayyed, spoke at his home to hundreds of supporters, who greeted him by throwing rice and flowers and shouting: "With our blood and with our soul, we defend you Sayyed."

Gen. Sayyed ended his speech with a greeting to the leader of the Syrian-sponsored militant Shiite group Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Ali al-Hajj, the former police director general, army intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar and the head of the Presidential Guard Brigade, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan were also released.

The decision comes ahead of June 7 parliamentary elections, which will be fought between a pro-Western faction headed by the late prime minister's son, Saad Hariri, and an alliance led by Hezbollah.

The detention of the four generals has been a key point of detention between the groups, and the their release will embolden the Hezbollah-led, says Nawaf Kabara, a professor of Political Science at the University of Balamand. "The release … will favor the Christian leaders allied with Hezbollah," he said.

Hezbollah welcomed the decision in a statement describing the detention of the generals as "arbitrary" and "politicizing the judicial system."

"This is a happy day for Lebanon and a day of mourning for the judiciary's credibility in the country," Hezbollah parliament member Hassan Fadlallah said at the home of Gen. Sayyed.

Saad Hariri said he would welcome any decision by the tribunal even though "some Lebanese aren't pleased with the court's decision."

He said the court would continue to pursue justice, and that the release demonstrated that the court hadn't been politicized. "I call on all Lebanese to unite in solidarity with the court," he said.

Lebanon's pro-Western government said it would abide by the court's decision.

 

 

Lebanon's Parliament majority leader Saad al-Hariri speaks during a news conference in Beirut to comment on the decision of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon to release four Lebanese generals April 29, 2009. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday ordered the release of four pro-Syrian security generals held in Lebanon since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/ Hussam Shbaro

 

 

Supporters of Lebanon's former security services director Jamil Sayyed light fireworks outside the latter's residence in Beirut upon hearing the news that four Lebanese generals, including Sayyid, were ordered freed by a UN special court at the Hague after prosecutors said there was no evidence to link them to the 2005 killing of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.(AFP/Ramzi Haidar)

AFP via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 10:04 AM

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  • The wife, Samar, and son, Salah, of former Lebanese Internal Security Chief Ali Hajj, celebrate outside the prison of Roumieh, northeast of Beirut. Lebanon released four generals Wednesday who had been held for nearly four years without charge over the assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri following a ruling by a UN-backed court.(AFP/Joseph Barrak)

    AFP via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 10:04 AM
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  • A Lebanese woman shouts slogans as she celebrates in the streets of Beirut, holding up a framed portrait of former security chief Jamil Sayyed. Lebanon released four generals Wednesday who had been held for nearly four years without charge over the assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri following a ruling by a UN-backed court.(AFP/Anwar Amro)

    AFP via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 10:04 AM
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    Lebanese soldiers on an armoured personnel carrier secure the area outside the Roumiyeh prison east of Beirut, where four pro-Syrian security generals were held since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, during the announcement by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon ordering the generals' release from prison, April 29, 2009. REUTERS/Khalil Hassan (LEBANON CONFLICT POLITICS MILITARY)

     

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    Lebanese men celebrate the release of Maj. Gen. Ali Hajj in his hometown of Barja, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Authorities began releasing four Lebanese generals who were held in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after an international judge ordered them released. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

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    Britain's Queen Elizabeth II receives the President of Lebanon General Michel Sleiman, and his wife, Wafaa Sleiman, at Buckingham Palace in central London, Wednesday April 29, 2009.(AP Photo/Johnny Green, pool)

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    The family of Jamil al-Sayyed, former head of General Security, react during the announcement by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon ordering his release from prison, in Lebanon April 29, 2009. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon ordered on Wednesday the release of Sayyed and three other pro-Syrian security generals held in Lebanon since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON POLITICS CONFLICT IMAGES OF THE DAY)

    Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 6:21 AM
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  • Lebanese opposition Christian leader Michel Aoun (R) speaks with Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt (L) as Lebanon's parliament house speaker Nabih Berri (C) looks on during the sixth session of the national dialogue between politician rival leaders at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, near Beirut April 28, 2009. REUTERS/ Dalati Nohra/ Handout (LEBANON POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

    Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 28 4:30 AM
 

Raymond Azar, former military intelligence chief, talks to reporters as Hezbollah member of parliament Amin Sherry (L) looks on at Azar's his home during a welcome ceremony to mark his release from prison, in Ballouneh, east of Beirut April 29, 2009. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday ordered the release of four pro-Syrian security generals held in Lebanon since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/Georges Saad (LEBANON)

Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 12:03 PM

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  • Newly released prisoner Raymond Azar, former military intelligence chief, hugs his wife upon arrival at his home during a welcome ceremony to mark his release in Ballouneh, east of Beirut April 29, 2009. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday ordered the release of four pro-Syrian security generals held in Lebanon since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/Georges Saad (LEBANON CONFLICT POLITICS)

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  • Ali Hajj (C), former police chief, is welcomed by his mother and Hezbollah member of parliament Hussein Hajj Hassan upon returning to his home in Beirut at a welcome ceremony marking his release from prison April 29, 2009. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday ordered the release of four pro-Syrian security generals held in Lebanon since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON CONFLICT POLITICS)

    Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 12:05 PM

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  • Ali Hajj, former police chief, is hugged by his wife Samar upon returning to his home in Beirut during a welcome ceremony to mark his release from prison April 29, 2009. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday ordered the release of four pro-Syrian security generals held in Lebanon since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON CONFLICT POLITICS)

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  • Supporters of newly released prisoner Ali Hajj (C), former police chief, carry him during a welcome ceremony to mark his release, in Beirut April 29, 2009. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday ordered the release of four pro-Syrian security generals held in Lebanon since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/ Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON CONFLICT POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY)

    Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 11:00 AM

 

 

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  • Brig. Gen. Jamil Sayyed stands on a stage, rear center, as he addresses supporters after his release from prison outside his house in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Authorities began releasing four Lebanese generals who were held in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after an international judge ordered them released. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)

    AP via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 10:42 AM
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  • Brig. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, speaks in front of several hundred supporters outside of his house in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Authorities in Lebanon have begun releasing four generals held for four years on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after an international judge ordered them released. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)

    AP via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 10:06 AM
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  • Brig. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, center, gestures as he arrives outside of his house, welcomed by several hundred cheering supporters in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Authorities in Lebanon have begun releasing four generals held for four years on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after an international judge ordered them released. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)

    AP via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 10:05 AM
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  • Sawsan Sayyed, left, wife of former General Security chief Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, reacts with a relative as the news of his release along with three other Lebanese generals was heard live on TV, at his home in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. A judge at the U.N.-backed tribunal set up to prosecute former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassins ordered the immediate release of Sayyed and three pro-Syrian generals being held in Beirut as suspects. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Tawil)

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  • Newly released prisoner Mustafa Hamdan (L), former chief of the Republican Guard, hugs his brother upon returning to his home during a welcome ceremony to mark his release in Beirut April 29, 2009. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday ordered the release of four pro-Syrian security generals held in Lebanon since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/Hussam Shbaro (LEBANON CONFLICT POLITICS)

    Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 11:46 AM

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  • Supporters of newly released prisoner Mustafa Hamdan, former chief of the Republican Guard, greet him during a welcome ceremony to mark his release, in Beirut April 29, 2009. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Wednesday ordered the release of four pro-Syrian security generals held in Lebanon since 2005 over the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. REUTERS/Hussam Shbaro (LEBANON CONFLICT POLITICS)

    Reuters via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 11:26 AM
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  • Former Presidential Guards commander, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, center, celebrates after his release from prison as he arrives in his house in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Lebanon released four generals held for nearly four years in the 2005 truck-bomb assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri after a U.N.-backed tribunal ordered them freed on Wednesday, setting off celebrations with fireworks and dancing. (AP Photo)

    AP via Yahoo! News - Apr 29 11:20 AM