CASE No - Inter-Parliamentary Union

- 2 - CL/183/SR.1
ANNEX XXI
Bearing in mind that Lebanon is a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and is thus bound to guarantee the right to life,
Considering that Mr. Sheik Saleh Aridi, a senior member of the Lebanese Democratic
Party, was assassinated in a car-bomb attack in the hills east of Beirut on 10 September 2008,
1. Is deeply concerned that the string of assassinations of prominent politicians in Lebanon
continues to this day;
2. Remains convinced that the - as yet unresolved - murder of four members of the National
Assembly of Lebanon strongly dissuades other members from speaking out on critical
issues, and is thus a threat to the institution of parliament and ultimately to the people it
represents; reaffirms therefore that the National Assembly has a special responsibility and
interest to ensure that these crimes do not go unpunished;
3. Trusts that the National Assembly is making every effort to monitor and facilitate action and
cooperation between the Commission and the national judicial system in these cases and a
smooth transition to the prompt establishment of the Special Court; also trusts that, as in
the case of Mr. Tueni, it has associated itself with the court action taken by the public
prosecutor in the other three cases; would greatly appreciate receiving further information
on these points;
4. Requests the Secretary General to convey this resolution to the Speaker of the National
Assembly of Lebanon;
5. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session,
to be held on the occasion of the 120 th Assembly of the IPU (April 2009).