Trial date for Hariri case announced

The Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Tuesday announced that the trial of the four persons accused for the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri will begin on January 16, 2014. This decision has been made after consulting the parties to the case at the Trial Chamber's last public hearing, said the STL in a statment at The Hague. The trial will commence with opening statements by the Prosecutor, the legal representatives of the victims participating in the proceedings, as well as opening statements, if any, for the defence. The Trial Chamber has also announced that there will be a pre-trial conference starting on January 9, 2014. The STL's primary mandate is to hold trials for the people accused of carrying out the attack of February 14, 2005 in Beirut which killed 23 people, including the former prime minister of Lebanon, Rafiq Hariri, and injured many others