Amidst the Syrian upheaval and its repercussions on Lebanon and Syria in the region, the often heated topic of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) has surprisingly been absent from public debates over the past few months. This week, however, the Tribunal announced that it has accepted 58 out of 73 applications for victims to testify in the case of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, indicating that despite the turmoil and clashes, the Tribunal continues with its mandate to identify the perpetrators of the crime and bring them to justice.

Most of the victims announced are families and friends of those injured or killed during the incident in February 2005, though their identities will remain concealed. To date, four men have been charged with the murder but remain at-large despite warrants for their arrests. All four - Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Anaissi, and Assad Sabra - are allegedly affiliated with Hezbollah. Former STL chief investigator Nick Kaldas confirmed that there is solid evidence against them that goes beyond telecom data and includes testimonies.

Badreddine, a Hezbollah commander and a suspect in the U.S. Marine barracks bombing in Beirut in 1983, went on the defensive this week and filed a legal challenge claiming that tribunal's creation is illegal and unfit to judge the proceedings. He said that the Security Council abused its powers when it created the court in 2007. The three other suspects have also claimed that the court was illegal.

This had been the position of Hezbollah until, under the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Mikati and a friendly pro-Syrian cabinet, Hezbollah chose to allow funding to go to the Tribunal. Between collapse of the cabinet and extending the STL a lifeline, Hezbollah chose the latter. It turned a blind eye to funding, even though the group opposed the STL for years, calling it an American-Israeli conspiracy to target the Resistance.

While this may have cost Hezbollah some of its credibility, the group claimed it was to the advantage of the country and its stability. However, Hezbollah will find it hard to fight the same battle twice, especially as rhetorics and tensions sharpen around election time.

This year, Prime Minister Hariri will be running on a campaign to "overthrow the regime," and will be joined by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. Hariri will support the Tribunal full force, and any Sunni leader seeking to position themselves in good standing within their community would not oppose it. Hezbollah, on the other hand, would not be able to oppose the Tribunal with as much vigor if it chooses to maintain the coherence of its cabinet. With elections coming up and a war raging nearby, the cabinet is a more valuable tool to the group.

Perhaps it is better for the Tribunal to be overshadowed by other events, allowing it to proceed with its mandate without attacks and claims of politicization. The STL, according to its spokesperson Marten Youssef, will start its trials in 2012, which are to take place in absentia. Even if those dates are delayed, with the evidence cited and the victim testimonies, it appears Lebanon is finally on its way to obtaining justice.