Souheil Abboud urges investigative judges to 'take necessary decisions'

The First President of Lebanon's Court of Cassation and head of the Supreme Judicial Council (CSM), Souheil Abboud, on Tuesday called on investigative judges "to take the necessary decisions, despite the difficulties."

His remarks came during a meeting with judges aimed at learning about "the progress in their cases, as well as the obstacles that may have prevented the closure of some of them," according to a statement published by the CSM, without further details.

This meeting took place a week after Justice Minister Adel Nassar appointed 11 new investigative judges to look into as many political assassinations and attempted assassinations dating back to 1978, to fill the vacancies in these positions.

The move has raised questions about the timing of the reopening of these cases, while rekindling hope that those responsible may one day be held accountable in court.

These appointments, which came after several months of coordination with the CSM, are part of "efforts to end impunity in Lebanon," according to the terminology used by the state-run National News Agency.

Among the oldest cases are the 1978 assassinations of former MP Tony Frangieh (grandfather of the current MP of the same name) and members of his family, and the 1980 assassination attempt on former president Camille Chamoun.