[23] However, the Lebanese Prime Minister wrote to the UN Secretary-General in May 2007 stating that the Speaker refused to convene Parliament, and therefore the agreement could not be ratified, despite the support of a majority of parliamentarians.

[29] The Tribunal opened its doors on 1 March 2009,[30] taking over jurisdiction from the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC), whose mandate ended on 28 February 2009.

[74] According to the STL Statute, where their personal interests are affected, victims shall be allowed to present their views during the proceedings, so matter as this is not inconsistent with and does not prejudice the rights of the accused to a fair and impartial trial.

[116] Eleven days after the assassination, a fact-finding mission sent by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and led by Irish Deputy Police Commissioner Peter FitzGerald set to work investigating the causes, circumstances, and consequences of the attack.

[129] In reaction to the submission, U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed the first indictment saying it could end an "era of impunity" and that it was "a significant and emotional time for the Lebanese people" and that "the U.S. were joining the international community in calling on all leaders and factions to preserve calm and exercise restraint.

[135] In the meantime, prior to the official announcement, Lebanese media and the Interior Minister of Lebanon reported that the warrants were issued for Hezbollah members Mustafa Badreddine, Salim al-Ayyash, Assad Sabra and Hassan Oneissi.

[136][137] Nasrallah also denounced the Tribunal as a foreign plot against his party,[138] while dismissing fears of internal strife or civil war, stating that the country's new government would ensure stability.

[157][158] In April 2015, Lebanese journalist Karma Khayat and Al-Jadeed TV went on trial, accused of "knowingly and wilfully interfering with the administration of justice" over August 2012 broadcasts relating to alleged confidential witnesses in the Hariri case.

Given the importance of providing timely and accurate information to the Lebanese public, the STL is the first international tribunal to require the establishment of a dedicated outreach unit in its Statute or Rules of Procedure and Evidence.

[184] From there, it engages with legal professionals, government, academics, students and civil society organisations in order to communicate the Tribunal's work to the Lebanese and global public and seek feedback.

Asser Instituut jointly organize an Inter-University Programme on International Criminal Law and Procedure for senior Lebanese undergraduates (and some graduate students), in partnership with Lebanese-based universities.

[188] In 2016, a competition was organized to encourage program alumni to share their knowledge with younger Lebanese by conducting presentations on the STL to high school students.

[190] The STL and the Institute for Human Rights at the Beirut Bar Association, supported by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, organize annual training for lawyers on criminal procedures before international courts.

[202] In the hours following the blast, individuals with strong ties to the Syrian government attempted to guide the Lebanese investigation toward a 22-year-old man of Palestinian origin named Ahmed Abu Addas.

[207] Mustafa Hamdan, former head of the Lebanese Presidential Guard brigade; Jamil al Sayyed, former Director-General of Security General; Ali al Hajj, director general of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces; and Raymond Azar, the former director of the Military Intelligence were released upon an order from the STL Pre-Trial Judge at the request of the Prosecutor due to lack of evidence.

[209] In September 2010, Saad Hariri told the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that "[a]t a certain stage we made mistakes and accused Syria of assassinating the martyred premier.

[228] However, there were some prominent witnesses who testified on the political situation in Lebanon preceding Hariri's assassination, including: Marwan Hamade, Walid Jumblatt, Fouad Siniora and Jamil al Sayyed.

[233] After repeated summons by Syria for the accused false witnesses were ignored, al-Sayyed's lawyer, Fasih al-Ashi, said a Syrian court issued more than 30 warrants[234] against judges, officers, politicians and journalists from various Arab countries.

He also suggested that then-Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare should have summoned Hariri's political, security and judicial team and questioned them, then called on him and then STL President Antonio Cassese to resign.

[243] On 12 May 2011, the STL Pre-Trial Judge ordered more than 270 documents to be released to al Sayyed to allow him to pursue his claim for wrongful detention in the Lebanese national courts.

[135] In the meantime, prior to the official announcement, the media had widely reported that Hezbollah members Mustafa Badreddine, Salim al-Ayyash, Assad Sabra and Hassan Oneissi had been charged.

"[255] With rhetoric escalating on all sides, many political leaders in Lebanon worried that the indictment of Hezbollah members could destabilize the country and lead to civil strife.

[256][257][258][259][260] On 30 July 2010, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Saudi King Abdullah and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani visited Lebanon to calm tensions.

The results showed that 60% believed the international probe was politicised, unfair and biased, and 43% supported an amendment in the method and the style of the investigation to be more impartial and neutral; 17% also called for a complete abolition of the STL; 55% viewed the documents submitted by Nasrallah as convincing evidence of the suspicion of Israel.

[277] The indictment's heavy reliance on telecommunications data raised questions upon its release in 2011; many Lebanese officials considered the evidence compromised due to infiltration by a number of intelligence agencies, including Israel's.

[4][281] On 27 October 2010, a team composed of two STL investigators and their translator, escorted by Lebanese security forces, came to interview Dr. Iman Charara at her clinic, located in the prominently Shi'ite Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, the Dahieh district.

[282] Upon the team's arrival, a crowd of people clad in veils with their faces covered, believed to be mostly men dressed in women's clothes,[282][283] attacked them and stole several items.

[295] In addition, the tribunal could not figure out who was the suicide bomber whose body parts were recovered from the scene,[104] nor the people who facilitated the operation; however, they indicated that Hezbollah members were observing the target, based on data from mobile phones allegedly used by the plotters.

[296][a] On 11 December 2020, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon sentenced Salim Ayyash, to five concurrent terms of life in prison in absentia for his role in the assassination of Rafic Hariri.

Established in 2009 to investigate the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other linked attacks, the STL concluded its mission without fully achieving its goals.