The United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) on Wednesday ordered the release of four senior Lebanese generals held over the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri, saying that there was not enough evidence to hold them.
"The pre-trial judge orders, unless they are held in another case, the release with immediate effect," ruled Belgian pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen on Wednesday.
Soon after the STL announced its ruling, Lebanon released the four generals who were being held in custody since 2005 on suspicion of planning the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri and carrying out terrorist acts.
The four Lebanese generals released on Wednesday were former head of General Security Maj Gen Jamil al-Sayyad, former chief of police Maj Gen Ali Hajj, former military intelligence chief Brig Gen Raymond Azar and former Republican Guard commander Mustafa Hamdan.
The STL is a special UN court set up to investigate the a series of attacks in Lebanon, including the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. It was established in line with a 2007 U.N. Security Council resolution at the request of Lebanon. It was formally opened at Leidschendam, near The Hague, on 1st March 2009.
It has the authority to try suspects accused of Hariri's murder, who was killed in a bomb blast in Beirut in February 2005 along with 22 others, and to prosecute those involved in the terrorist attacks in Lebanon between 1 October 2004 and 12 December 2005.
The relationship between Syria and Lebanon had deteriorated over Hariri's assassination after Lebanon accused Syria of orchestrating his killing. Though Syria has denied any involvement in the incident, Damascus was forced to withdraw its forces from Lebanon, thereby ending three decades of occupation, following Hariri's assassination.
However, their relations improved recently and the two countries announced jointly in October that they have decided to establish diplomatic relations with each other after 60 years since gaining their independence from French colonial rule. Since then, both counties have opened their embassies in each other's capital cities and have appointed their ambassadors.
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