The Japan Times - Five years after Beirut port blast, Lebanese demand justice

The August 4, 2020 disaster was one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions, and devastated swathes of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring over 6,500.

Authorities have said the blast was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been stored haphazardly for years after arriving by ship, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.

Hundreds gathered in Beirut on Monday afternoon to mark the anniversary, some brandishing signs reading "No compromises on justice" and "The crime of August 4 was not an accident".

Georgette Khoury, 68, was there to honour the memory of three of her loved ones who perished in the blast.

"Five years have passed, but it still feels like the explosion just happened. It's a gaping wound in the heart of every Lebanese person," she said, attending the commemoration for the first time.

"We demand justice, and if it is not delivered here, it will be served above."

A few steps away, Youssef Romanos, 44, raised a photo of his neighbour, a nun killed in the explosion.

"We are waiting for justice to take its course," he said. "It will not bring back our martyrs but it will be a relief."

- 'Transparency' -

Judge Tarek Bitar resumed his investigation into the blast this year as Lebanon's balance of power shifted following a war between Israel and Hezbollah that weakened the Iran-backed militant group, which had spearheaded a campaign for Bitar's resignation.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that the state was "committed to uncovering the whole truth, no matter the obstacles or how high the positions" involved.

"The law applies to all, without exception," he added.

"The blood of your loved ones will not be in vain," the president told victims' families, adding: "Justice is coming, accountability is coming."

After resuming work following a more than two-year impasse, Bitar has finished questioning defendants and suspects, a judicial official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Those questioned include former prime minister Hassan Diab, as well as military and security officials, while several former ministers did not appear for questioning, the official said.

Bitar is waiting for some procedures to be completed, including receiving responses from several Arab and European countries following a request for "information on specific incidents", the official added, without elaborating.

The judge will then finalise the investigation and refer the file to the public prosecution for its opinion before he issues an indictment, the official said.

President Aoun said "we are working with all available means to ensure the investigations are completed with transparency and integrity".

Officials named in the investigation had filed a flurry of lawsuits seeking to prevent it from going forward.

Nobody is currently in custody in relation to the case.

- 'Chain of responsibility' -

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a joint statement on Monday that "despite the resumption of the investigation, the road to justice remains littered with political and legal challenges".

They urged authorities to ensure a comprehensive, unobstructed investigation that establishes "the facts and circumstances surrounding the explosion, encompassing the full chain of responsibility", whether domestic or international.

Mariana Fodoulian from the association of victims' families said that "for five years, officials have been trying to evade accountability, always thinking they are above the law".

"We're not asking for anything more than the truth," she told AFP.

"We won't stop until we get comprehensive justice."

On Sunday, Culture Minister Ghassan Salame said the port's gutted and partially collapsed wheat silos would be included on a list of historic buildings.

Victims' families have long demanded their preservation as a memorial of the catastrophe.

"The silos are the only witness to what happened on August 4," said Fodoulian.

T.Kobayashi--JT