The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Having before it the case of Mr. Walid Eido, a member of the National Assembly of Lebanon and an outspoken critic of the Syrian Arab Republic and its allies in Lebanon, who was assassinated together with his son, two bodyguards and four other individuals when a car bomb exploded in Beirut on 13 June 2007, which has been the subject of a study and report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians following the Procedure for the treatment by the Inter-Parliamentary Union of communications concerning violations of the human rights of members of parliament,

Taking note of the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, which contains a detailed outline of the case (CL/181/11(a)-R.1),

Considering that the murder of Mr. Eido follows a number of high-profile political assassinations that have taken place in Lebanon following former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination in February 2005,

Considering that, in its resolution 1644 (2005), the United Nations Security Council authorized the International Independent Investigation Commission looking into Prime Minister Hariri's murder to devote part of its capacity to extending technical assistance to the Lebanese authorities with regard to other high-profile assassination attempts, assassinations and bomb attacks carried out in Lebanon, and noting that on 14 June 2007, pursuant to a request from the Lebanese Prime Minister to the United Nations Secretary-General, the Commission was mandated to provide technical assistance to the Lebanese authorities in their investigation into the attack on Mr. Eido,

Noting that, in its eighth report, submitted to the Security Council on 12 July 2007, the Commission states that its work to date with the Lebanese authorities regarding Mr. Eido's murder has enabled it to ascertain several items of interest and that it will pursue its work in this connection, inter alia by investigating any possible links with Rafik Hariri's murder,

Considering that, on 6 February 2007, the United Nations signed an agreement with Lebanon for the establishment of a Special Tribunal for Lebanon that would have concurrent jurisdiction with the national courts and would try those alleged to be responsible for Mr. Hariri's assassination and for any other attacks since October 2004 which are "connected in accordance with the principles of criminal justice and are of a nature and gravity similar to the attack of 14 February 2005"; according to the United Nations Secretary-General, it is now for the competent Lebanese authorities to take the steps necessary under the Lebanese Constitution for the approval and ratification of the agreement,

Considering that the current political deadlock in Lebanon has prevented the parliament from sitting and from taking any decision with regard to the establishment of the tribunal, but that attempts are being made to reconvene parliament in late October 2007,

Bearing in mind that Lebanon is a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and is thus bound to guarantee the right to life,

1. Is shocked at the murder of Mr. Eido, which it strongly condemns;  

2. Is deeply concerned at the consequences of the murder of Mr. Eido, which, considered together with the string of assassinations of other high-profile and outspoken politicians, confirms that at this important juncture in Lebanon, the exercise of freedom of expression is at great risk and constitutes a serious deterrent for other parliamentarians to speak out on critical issues;

3. Is pleased that the International Independent Investigation Commission has been mandated to provide assistance to the Lebanese investigating authorities in this case, and trusts that, thanks to its expertise and resources available, its efforts, along with the full assistance of the Lebanese investigating authorities, will elucidate the murder of Mr. Eido and lead to identification of the culprits; 

4. Affirms that the murder of a parliamentarian stands as a threat to the institution of parliament and, in the final analysis, to the people it represents, and that parliaments therefore have a special responsibility to ensure that such crimes do not go unpunished; is convinced that the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon would make a vital contribution to dispensing justice in this case; calls on the National Assembly and the parliamentary authorities to make every effort to help resolve the present political crisis in order to facilitate the necessary decisions; wishes to ascertain what steps are being taken in this regard;

5. Requests the Secretary General to convey this resolution to the Speaker of the National Assembly of Lebanon;

6. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 118th Assembly of the IPU (Cape Town, April 2008).

Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 117th IPU Assembly and related meetings" in PDF format (file size 480K approximately). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.

HOME PAGEHUMAN RIGHTSMAIN AREAS OF ACTIVITYIPU STRUCTURE AND DOCUMENTS