UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres officially closed Saturday an international tribunal established to probe the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The Secretary-General’s spokesperson acknowledged the Special Tribunal’s closure of the Special Tribunal and emphasized that three individuals were found guilty in connection with the assassination in absentia proceedings and sentenced to five concurrent life imprisonment sentences.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, established in response to the 2005 attack in Beirut that killed former PM Hariri, operated as an international tribunal under UN Security Council Resolution 1757. The tribunal had jurisdiction over individuals responsible for the 2005 attack that resulted in the death of former Lebanese PM Hariri and others. Additionally, it could extend its jurisdiction to cover related attacks in Lebanon between October 1, 2004, and December 12, 2005, if they were connected to the February 14, 2005 event in terms of criminal intent, purpose, nature of victims, attack pattern, and perpetrators. The tribunal could also consider crimes on later dates if they were connected to the 2005 attack, subject to the agreement of the involved parties and the UN Security Council’s consent. The Office of the Prosecutor had to provide prima facie evidence demonstrating the connections to establish jurisdiction.

On July 1, 2022, the Tribunal transitioned to a residual phase, focusing on preserving records, fulfilling remaining obligations to victims and witnesses, and responding to information requests from national authorities.

The UN Security Council established the tribunal through Resolution 1757 (2007). The resolution outlined the composition, financing, and immunities of the tribunal, emphasized cooperation with the Lebanese government, prohibited amnesty for relevant crimes, and specified the location of the tribunal’s seat. All Tribunal functions were to be carried out in accordance with the Statute of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

The tribunal’s trial documentation included statements from 297 witnesses and 3,135 pieces of evidence, spanning over 171,000 pages. In an effort to enhance public accessibility to the 2,641-page verdict, a summary was published on the tribunal’s website in Arabic, English and French.