Syrian lawyers challenge UN report on Hariri assassination News
Syrian lawyers challenge UN report on Hariri assassination

[JURIST] Syrian lawyers and judges have protested in Damascus against the UN report [text] on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri [JURIST archive] suggesting that his murder was sanctioned by the Syrian government. Members of the Syrian Bar Association marched Sunday after endorsing a letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan challenging the report's neutrality. In the letter, the Association challenged the methodology used during the investigation and contended that the report was riddled with "legal mistakes", charging that UN investigators relied on the testimony of numerous witnesses who are political foes of Syria, and intentionally ignored the potential role Israel played in the assassination. On Saturday, Hariri's son Saad al-Hariri praised the report [JURIST report] and called for an international trial to punish those responsible for his father's death. Civil servants and students took to the streets of Damascus Monday to add their own voices to the protests. Arabic News has more.