300-Member Security Team to Protect Tribunal Judges, Names Remain Withheld
Lebanese security forces have assembled a special 300-member team to protect the four Lebanese judges in the Special Tribunal for Lebanon but the release of their names has been delayed for "security concerns."
According to Asharq al-Awsat daily newspaper in an article published on Thursday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who has the final decision on the matter, has not yet agreed to release the names of the judges due to security concerns.
For its part, Lebanon has assembled a special team of 300 security forces to protect the judges. A Lebanese security official told Asharq al-Awsat that its members have been "subjected to very specialized training" and, upon learning the names of the judges, will "carry out [the judges”] protection, the protection of their houses, and the protection of their families."
This team is said to resemble "Fuhoud," the group which handles the security of visiting foreign delegations and high-level officials and handled the security of the international tribunal”s prosecutor Daniel Bellemare, who was head of the U.N. commission investigating ex-Premier Rafik Hariri”s assassination.
The group only awaits "information from the U.N. to begin its work," Lebanese security official told Asharq al-Awsat. Even were the names of the judges to be released, security authorities have assured that measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the judges and their kin.
U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told the newspaper that the organization has "trust in Lebanese security authorities." However, despite this trust and the preparedness that Lebanese security officials have purported, the names remain a secret.