Washington, DC – Congressman Howard L. Berman, Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following comments marking the sixth anniversary of Former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri's Assassination.

“Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated six years ago today, was the towering figure of Lebanon’s post-civil war era, a proud patriot who did much to heal the wounds of the civil war and won respect well beyond the limits of his own Sunni Muslim community.

“Lebanon has long been cursed by a culture of impunity that virtually encourages the use of assassination as a political tool. To help put an end to that destabilizing culture and to serve the cause of justice, the international community and the government of Lebanon initiated an international investigation into Hariri’s murder. The indictments requested by the prosecutors for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon are expected to be announced soon.

“We honor Rafiq Hariri’s memory and support Lebanon’s future by re-affirming today our unwavering commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and to UN Security Council resolutions that back a sovereign, independent Lebanon, whose politics are not sullied by foreign interference or by the depredations of a terrorist militia masquerading as a political party.”