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LEBANON
CASE No. LEB/01 - GIBRAN TUENI

Resolution adopted unanimously by the IPU Governing Council at its 181st session
(Geneva, 10 October 2007)

The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the case of Mr. Gibran Tueni, a member of the National Assembly of Lebanon, publisher and editor of An-Nahar newspaper and an outspoken critic of the activities of the Syrian Arab Republic and its allies in Lebanon, who was killed in a car bomb attack on 12 December 2005, as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/181/11(a)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 180th session (May 2007),

Recalling that, in its resolution 1644 (2005), the United Nations Security Council authorized the International Independent Investigation Commission entrusted with investigating former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri's murder to devote part of its capacity to the task of extending technical assistance to the Lebanese authorities with regard to 14 cases of attempted assassination, assassination and bombing carried out in Lebanon since 1 October 2004, including the murder of Mr. Tueni,

Noting that, in its eighth report submitted to the United Nations Security Council on 12 July 2007, the International Independent Investigation Commission states that the Lebanese authorities continue to respond fully and expeditiously to its requests for assistance and that its findings suggest a possible link between the group claiming responsibility for the killing of Mr. Hariri and the group saying that it carried out the attacks on Mr. Tueni,

Recalling that: soon after Mr. Tueni's assassination, the National Assembly associated itself with the court action taken by the public prosecutor; on 15 June 2006 the Minister of Justice, with the approval of the Supreme Judicial Council, designated an investigating judge in the case; recalling that, according to the leader of the Lebanese delegation to the 116th Assembly of the IPU (April-May 2007), the national investigating authorities were closely cooperating with the international investigation, which has precedence over the national investigation,

Recalling that on 6 February 2007 the United Nations signed an agreement with Lebanon, the Director-General of the Ministry of Justice signing on behalf of the Lebanese Republic, to set up the 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"; that according to the United Nations Secretary-General, it was now for the competent Lebanese authorities to take the steps necessary under the Lebanese Constitution for the approval and ratification of the agreement; recalling that, according to the leader of the Lebanese delegation to the 116th Assembly of the IPU, everyone in Lebanon and all political parties are in favour of establishing such a tribunal,

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,

  1. Remains confident that, thanks to the extensive expertise of and resources available to the International Independent Investigation Commission, its continuous efforts, along with the full assistance of the Lebanese investigating authorities, will elucidate the murder of Mr. Tueni and lead to identification of the culprits;

  2. Believes that the National Assembly can play an important role in the pursuit of justice in this case, particularly by permitting the speedy establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon; calls therefore on the National Assembly to make every effort to contribute tosettling the present crisis so as to remove the obstacles preventing it from fulfilling this role;

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

  4. 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).
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