Factbox - Lebanon tribunal: the case, suspects and evidence

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Judges at The Special Tribunal for Lebanon are due to give their verdict on Friday in the trial of four men accused over the 2005 Beirut bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and 21 others.

Here is a look at the tribunal and the defendants.

TRIBUNAL

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is an international court set up jointly by the United Nations and Lebanon to try suspects in the 2005 bombing and other political killings in Lebanon around the same time. Friday's verdict will be the first since its creation in 2007.

DEFENDANTS

The defendants, who are being tried in absentia, are Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Assad Hassan Sabra and Hussein Hassan Oneissi, linked to Hezbollah, the Shia Islamist group. All are charged with conspiracy to commit a terrorist attack, while Ayyash is charged with committing a terrorist act, homicide and attempted homicide. The men are not accused of having personally detonated the explosive. Hezbollah denies involvement in killing Hariri, a Sunni.

UNKNOWN WHEREABOUTS

The defendants' whereabouts are not known. They are not in custody and have not participated in their trial, though judges ruled they are aware of the charges against them. The defendants have not appeared or spoken in public since the trial started, nor communicated with the court-appointed lawyers representing them. If they do show up at any time during the case they have the right to a retrial or appeal.

PROSECUTORS

Prosecutors, led by Canadian Norman Farrell, allege that Ayyash was central to the planning and the execution of the assassination. They say the three other men, who are charged as accomplices, also helped prepare a false claim of responsibility to deflect blame. Prosecutors say the men, as Hezbollah supporters, may have been motivated by a desire for Syrian involvement in Lebanon to continue, a policy "which Hariri threatened".

EVIDENCE

During the 2014-2018 trial judges heard from 297 witness. Prosecutors presented what they call a "mosaic of evidence" mostly based on mobile phone records. Prosecutors say the pattern of phone calls shows the men were observing Hariri in the months before his assassination, and that they helped to coordinate and time the attack.

DEFENSE

Lawyers for the accused men say there is no direct evidence linking their clients to the mobile phones identified by the prosecution. They have asked for acquittal.

VERDICT

Friday's ruling will decide only whether the four accused have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If they are convicted, sentencing hearings would be held later. They could face a maximum sentence of life.

HAGUE COURT

The U.N. established the court in Leidschendam, a suburb of The Hague, Netherlands, which houses numerous international courts, both for security reasons and to ensure it can operate fairly and independently. The "hybrid" court's rules are based on Lebanese criminal law and international law, and judges are a mix of Lebanese and international magistrates.

(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; editing by Philippa Fletcher)