Lebanon’s patriarch today denounced the government’s failure to bring to justice those responsible for the Beirut port explosion, on the second anniversary of the tragedy in which calls for accountability are being made.
Bessara Boutros al-Rai, at a memorial service for the victims, said “God condemns those officials” who obstruct investigations that the government “has no right” to block.
The huge explosion at the port, which killed at least 220 people and was listed as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, was caused by a large amount of ammonia nitrate stored at the site since 2013. Two years on, no high-ranking official has been held accountable .
An internal investigation into the exact cause of the explosion — and who was responsible or negligent for the presence of ammonium nitrate — has been blocked for more than six months.
There is still no unified official death toll. Two security sources told Reuters that according to their calculations the dead are at least 220, with at least another 20 still unaccounted for, most of them Syrian nationals.
On August 4, 2020, hundreds of tons of ammonia nitrate that had been stored without precautions in a warehouse exploded, killing at least 200 people, injuring 6,500 and destroying entire city blocks — not to mention the psychological trauma.
A large section of the population blames the explosion on the ruling class that has been in power for decades, accusing them of mismanagement, corruption and negligence.
Today from 15:00 local time (and Greek time) the relatives of the victims are organizing three separate marches to the port demanding the resumption of the local investigation blocked by political obstacles.
An “independent, thorough and transparent investigation into the blast” is needed, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, echoing calls from NGOs, experts and victims’ families.
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron asked, in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour, that justice be done for the causes of the explosion, expressing regret for the suspension of the investigation for several months.
“I say it again today with force: justice must be served. In order to mourn and regroup, Lebanese men and women and all who live in this country (…) need to know the truth,” he said.
“Lebanon is going through an unprecedented crisis. It also needs justice to recover,” he adds, clarifying that “in this area, France will continue, with its partners, to help the country.”
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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