Conception, legacy, and legitimacy of the special tribunal for Lebanon

Abstract EN

This study analyzes critically the conception of the special tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and its legacy and legitimacy.

The author finds that the tribunal was formed without taking all stakeholders of Lebanon on-board such as the president and the alliances formed at that time.

The tribunal is also an example of selective justice.

The author argues that the tribunal should have been formed respecting the sovereignty and legal framework of Lebanon.

In this respect, examples of International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR) provide guidelines and precedence that must be followed.