Press Conference in Full on STL Demands to Some Lebanese Ministers on Information Concerning All the Lebanese

In this conference, our goal is to comment on a particular topic, related to what has been stirred up during the past few days in Lebanon on new demands of the STL general prosecutor Daniel Bellemare to obtain documents, data, and information related to the Lebanese people from some ministries. The demand comes upon allegation that the current investigation is related to the assassination of former PM martyr Rafik Hariri and his companions.

These demands were rejected by the competent ministers and raised many questions among most of the Lebanese on their legitimacy, as well as reinforced suspicions concerning the justifications and goals especially that these (demands) are related to detailed information on every citizen in Lebanon and violate their personal rights which are supposedly protected by virtue of the constitution. This also leads to the violation of the nation and its people.

Some tried to picture the fulfillment of these demands as postulate, and considered that the people lingering in fulfilling these demands as dissidents from the country and from international legitimacy, despite the fact that these demands come after six years to the crime, that the indictment has been already delivered, also despite the historical period of talks and changes Lebanon and the region witnesses. All the aforementioned reinforce the incredulity and politicization of the investigation. 

So that the Lebanese people would not fall prey for the misguidance, and the belittlement of their rights, as well as the violation of their privacy under any allegation, we, as a parliamentary bloc and as representatives to our proud and free people, saw that it is important that we display the reality of this case and demonstrate our stance. 

During several previous occasions and press conferences concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, we explained the formation and the rules of procedure of the STL. We proved it (STL) as illegitimate, and unconstitutional, and proved it is made upon international interests which over passed the will and interests of the Lebanese and their constitutional institutions; also proved it is a politicized tribunal and has all elements of discretion and does not abide by the highest standards of justice.

We concluded that such a tribunal does not await us to realize any justice or right; in fact we are not surprised that this tribunal paves the way for international custodies over Lebanon, its security, stability, and sovereignty. Every day, we and the majority of the Lebanese people following on this issue only become more certain of the accuracy of this evaluation. 

What we are to comment on now, will increase our certainty of the correctness of our stance on this tribunal, regardless of our conviction that the tribunal as well as all its procedures and issuances are illegitimate. The information the STL general prosecutor demands contradicts with the rules of procedure on one part, and with the memorandum of understanding of which he (Bellemare) claims to abide by on another. Also, the general prosecutor goes too far in violating the principle of national sovereignty while making light of it."

Regarding the violation of the rules of procedure and the memorandum of understanding, we record the following: 

1- There is no rule of procedure or evidence or memorandum of understanding signed with Lebanon that abides the Lebanese government by presenting such information. Both (the rules and the memo) talk about cooperation in the cases relevant to the delegation of the tribunal , bound to article 1 of the main rule related to the personals responsible of the 14 February 2005 attack as well as the consecutive attacks between the 1st of October 2004 and the 12th December 2005. 

2- Rule 16 of the rules of procedure and evidence states the following: Where it appears to the prosecutor that an attack that may fall within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal under Article 1 of the statute is the subject of investigations in, or criminal proceedings in the courts of, Lebanon, the Prosecutor may request the relevant Lebanese authorities to forward all relevant information.
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3- Also, the memorandum of understanding signed between the office of the STL general prosecutor Daniel Bellemare in June 2006 states as follows: the Lebanese government guarantees that the office of the STL general prosecutor be free from any intervention during his investigations in Lebanon, and to present all the help necessary for applying his authority which includes presenting all the documents and information as well as evidence in possession of the Lebanese administrations and institutions in the cases relevant to the delegation of the STL as soon as possible, also gather any additional information and sensual and documented evidence.
Hence, the demand for a full database of 5 years related to the Lebanese people is an obvious violation or even a blatant fall for the seriousness to the claim that the STL abides by the rules of procedure and the memorandum of understanding. This is a blatant breach as the general prosecutor oversteps the limits of authority limited in the people responsible for the 14 February 2005 attack.

As for the violation of the National Sovereignty Principle, we record the following:

1- The delivery of the full telecommunications database, personal and private information, private information related to the vast groups of the Lebanese people violates the privacy of an entire people under the pretext of a political individual crime. 

2- These privacies are part of the public freedoms protected in the introduction and body of the constitution. Therefore, this is a blatant violation to the simplest rule of national sovereignty where a whole people are exposed to undisciplined sides within the authority of the Lebanese state. 

3- This action is also a violation to the rules that the constitution assigned to organize what is called "The basic rights" or the "public freedoms", particularly the rule of objecting certain intelligence, where permission is taken from the concerned authorities to object the certain intelligence in track of the judicial investigation or the eavesdropping on a wanted person, in accordance with a judicial justified decision of a determined subject. This means there is no open request for legal assistance in this field at all, because the rule itself is an exception to the general constitutional principles (the basic rights and public freedoms). Therefore, any exception in its nature is entitled to exclusive explanation and it is prohibited to further being expanded. Here also the international general prosecutor violates the principle and the exception. 

Dear Sirs, Dear Lebanese, 

The demands that the STL general prosecutor requested through which he wanted to obtain detailed and inclusive information on all the citizens cannot be justified at all as a need to investigate in a political individual crime. These demands are an intentional violation to Lebanon and the Lebanese. 

No one should see that we are exaggerating in stirring the dangers of these demands, or that the matter does not deserve all this follow up and attention. This issue is very dangerous, and we will set before you a collection of this information and data so that the Lebanese, in first place, would know the volume of the violation of their privacies taking place.
During the past period, the international investigators have obtained the following: 

1- Telecommunications and SMS data from 2003.
2- Telecommunications data on cell phones, pay cards and Ogero subscribers.
3- The university files of all students from 2003 till 2006.
4- Eye scans and fingerprints of all detainees at the Internal Security Forces.
5- Fingerprints from the Passports directory of the General Security.
6- Data of all subscribers in Lebanon's electricity company (Electricite du Liban).
7- Thousands of documents from the Geography department, Ministry of Finance and Economy, Lebanon's Central Bank, Commercial Register, Ministry of Labor, as well as from the hospitals and the Casino du Liban. Also, addresses related to the different fields, as well as information related to other sensitive databases they are not allowed to get for technical reasons.

Today, the international General Prosecutor requested new information and data, including fingerprints of all the Lebanese, or in other words, the fingerprints of 4 million Lebanese people. Among these are Lebanese President, Speaker of Parliament and his predecessors, former and current Prime Ministers, Members of Parliament, Ministers, their wives and children, religious and military figures, sheikhs, monks and nuns, and everyone.

Is there a patriotic person, with a sense of dignity, who would accept such a request? The truth is that all the Lebanese do not accept such request, then why is it sought to occur? The General Prosecutor also requested the data of all cars and driver licenses' owners.

These requests, without equivocation, are suspected requests that illustrate the unprecedented intelligence work. Throughout our long dispute with the "Israeli" enemy, and after its ["Israeli" enemy] breaching in Lebanon was revealed to everyone, we ask several questions that would maybe shed the light on the background of this case:

1- What is the need of the International Investigation for the data of all the Lebanese people throughout many years, along with the updates?

2- Why does the General Prosecutor's office insist on requesting these data even after the indictment was handed in to the pre-trial Judge?
Who would guarantee that the information would not be leaked as the investigations were leaked, and parts of them were published recently?

The size of corruption and politicization the investigation was subject to, lost our confidence in it even in the least important issues.

Says who that what has been presented of data hasn't yet reached the "Israeli" enemy, especially that we have noticed signs concerning that issue (the "Israeli" purchase of these data), through monitoring the "Israeli" security movement in Lebanon.

3- Are the Lebanese people aware that in the tribunal, and especially in the General Prosecutor's team, there are workers of different nationalities (American, British, German, French, Australian, Pakistani, Kazakhstani...)? We know the backgrounds of those major among them, and those in control of Bellemare's office pillars, and we also know the level of their relations with some anti-resistance international intelligence firms. We know that there are countries, like the US, that have tried through some unconstitutional agreements with some apparatuses in Lebanon, to purchase some sensitive information, and when they didn't succeed, same information were requested through the STL.

4- Who would guarantee that the information would not reach the hands of disputed intelligence apparatuses or those of "Israeli" security, and then are exploited to trigger conflict among the Lebanese, and invent stories and confusions to blackmail a citizen or official from this or that team?

5- For the record, the General Prosecutor's office hasn't yet answered the question whether has the investigation committee or the STL transfer any information through the Zionist entity? We believe that the consequences of the STL's confessions and admitting of such an act do not require clarification.

The aforementioned reveals that what is happening on the level of these investigations is the biggest mandate and piracy operation ever witnessed by Lebanon, in which all the standers of justice, public freedoms, and human rights are being trespassed.

That is why we conclude by saying that it s no longer accepted for this country to be violated like this.

From this platform in the Parliament, we address all the liberals and people of honor and patriotism from where they stand in their positions and responsibilities (Ministers and Ministries, directors and departments, officials and citizens).

We call upon them not to cooperate with the STL's requests, because they represent a violation of the Lebanese sovereignty, and a trespass of the Lebanese constitution and law.

In the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, we stand side by side with the Ministers, especially those acting with high national responsibility and bravery, regarding the constitutional and law violations which they were aware not to fall in. Despite the incitement and pressure imposed on and against them, we will remain with those honorable people, and with the liberals of our country.

We urge them not to surrender to any pressure from any embassy, internal or foreign sides, aiming at violating the country, and making of it a country that lacks the minimum of sovereignty and privacy elements.

In this context, we clearly state: the memorandums of understanding signed between the STL's apparatuses and Lebanon should be frozen, and that should remain until a new government is formed to hold responsibility of taking action on all levels, and adopt the appropriate national decisions.