DUBAI: A special UN-backed tribunal is set to announce its verdict on the 2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri on Aug. 18 – and an Arab News Twitter poll showed majority thinks Hezbollah will be convicted.
Four alleged members of the Shiite group are on trial for the Beirut suicide bombing in 2005 that killed Hariri.
Arab News asked on Twitter whether the tribunal will convict the four, and out of 725 respondents, 64.6 percent said yes. The defendants will face life imprisonment if convicted.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) was going to announce the verdict on Friday, but had to postpone because of the deadly explosion at the Beirut port.
The court “is deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic events that shook Lebanon” and “expresses its solidarity with the Lebanese people in these difficult times,” it said in a statement announcing the ruling’s postponement.
STL is believed to be the first international tribunal set up to probe terrorist crimes.
