Court Orders Release of Generals Detained in Hariri Case
By VOA News
29 April 2009
Four pro-Syrian generals held in connection with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri are in the process of being freed after four years in custody.
The United Nations-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon at The Hague, in the Netherlands, ordered their release Wednesday, citing insufficient evidence to prolong their detention.
The generals have been held without charge since 2005.
News of the court ruling was greeted with celebrations in Lebanon, and family members of the detained men gathered at the Roumieh prison, outside Beirut.
Mr. Hariri and 22 others were killed in a truck bombing in Beirut in February of 2005.
Many Lebanese accuse Syria of carrying out the attack - a charge Damascus denies.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon began its work on March first.
Less than three months after the assassination, pressure from Lebanon and the United Nations led Syria to pull its 14,000 troops out of Lebanon, ending a 29-year presence there.
The four generals are a former general security chief, Jamil Sayyed, a former domestic security chief, Ali Hajj, a former military intelligence chief, Raymond Azar, and a former head of the presidential guard, Mustafa Hamdan.
Their release could have political ramifications. Lebanon is holding parliamentary elections in June that pit a pro-Western faction led by Hariri's son, Saad, against an opposition dominated by the militant group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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