Lebanon commemorates Thursday the second anniversary of the horrific explosion in the port of Beirut, while the suspension of the judicial investigation for months has angered the families of the victims, who are organizing marches to the site of the disaster, demanding to know the truth.
Human rights organizations and families of victims and survivors of the explosion renewed their demand for an independent international investigation into the explosion, which is considered one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in the world, at a time when United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Thursday the two-year anniversary of the disaster “without justice.”
On August 4, 2020, the port of Beirut witnessed a huge explosion that killed more than two hundred people and injured more than 6,500 others, causing widespread damage to the port and a number of neighborhoods in the capital.
The families of the victims, who are on an arduous journey to achieve justice, organize in A country where a culture of impunity has prevailed for decadesThree marches start at 3:00 pm (12:00 GMT) from three symbolic locations in Beirut to the port, where the grain stocks in its cracked silos have been engulfed by fire for weeks.
The first march starts from in front of the Palace of Justice, while the second starts from the headquarters of the fire brigade, embodying the last trip of nine members of the fire brigade who rushed to the port before the explosion. The third starts from downtown Beirut, the heart of the popular demonstrations once morest the political class accused of negligence and failure to manage the successive crises.
The commemoration comes, days following the collapse of part of the northern silos, following a fire caused by officials and experts, due to the fermentation of grain stocks due to humidity and high temperature. Experts warn of the imminent collapse of additional parts in the coming hours. Tatiana Hasruti, who lost her father, a worker in silos in the explosion, describes the timing of the silos’ collapse as “symbolic.”
“The silos are collapsing on us because we do not have any evidence regarding the truth of what happened, while they are doing their best to prevent investigations,” she told AFP, referring to the political class whose interference in the investigation’s work hinders the investigation.
“But I hope the sight of the silos falling will give people the will to fight for justice and struggle with us” to achieve it, she adds.
According to the authorities, the explosion was caused by storing large quantities of ammonium nitrate inside the port without preventive measures, following the outbreak of a fire whose causes were unknown. It later emerged that officials at several levels were aware of the dangers of storing the material and did nothing.
“nightmare”
The explosion, whose echoes reached the island of Cyprus, caused widespread devastation, similar to the devastation caused by wars and natural disasters.
The disaster exacerbated the unprecedented economic collapse that has continued since the fall of 2019, which has made the majority of Lebanese people below the poverty line. It has accelerated the pace of emigration, especially among young people looking for new beginnings.
Hasrouti says, “The ruling class kills us every day (..) If we do not die in the explosion, we will die of hunger and the lack of the most basic human rights.”
Two years following the explosion, Beirut has not recovered with dilapidated infrastructure and public facilities unable to provide basic services. At night, the capital is plunged into complete darkness, while the fires that erupt in the dumps raise the fear of the Lebanese, especially the families of the victims and those living in the vicinity of the port.
Lara Khachikian, 51, who watches the flames from her house facing the port, which was previously destroyed by the explosion, explains that the view is like a “nightmare.”
“I and my neighbors are always nervous. I get scared all the time and we can’t sleep” at night, she told AFP.
“We remember every moment”
When part of the northern silos collapsed on Sunday, the most affected by the disaster, smoke and dust were emitted, reminiscent of a huge cloud left by the explosion two years ago and visible from several areas.
“The smoke is unbearable and the smell has been coming from there for days,” Lara explains. “You need an uncanny ability to live when you are reminded at every moment of the explosion.”
And the French expert Emmanuel Duran, who monitors the rates of silos curvature through sensors, expected that a block of four silos would collapse Thursday, following they became separated from the rest of the parts.
The government had previously decided in April to demolish the stipends for fear of public safety, but suspended its implementation following objections from several quarters, including the Victims’ Families Committee, which demands that the swabs be transferred to a teacher who witnessed the explosion and fears sabotaging the crime scene.
The suspension of the investigation since the end of 2021 is fueling the anger of the divided people, in turn, regarding the work of the judicial investigator, Tariq Al-Bitar, who is facing lawsuits filed, respectively, by defendants, including current MPs and former ministers.
The investigation raises a political division, with major forces, most notably Hezbollah, objecting to al-Bitar’s work, accusing him of “politicizing” the file.
Al-Bitar is awaiting, according to a judicial source, “the cases once morest him are decided”, to resume if his investigations are rejected, and he continues to “interrogate the defendants” in preparation for the conclusion of the investigation.
With the domestic investigation faltering, the United Nations Secretary-General renewed his call on Thursday for an “impartial, thorough and transparent investigation” into the explosion, a day following several local and foreign calls for an international investigation.
Six independent experts from the United Nations called on Wednesday to “open an international investigation without delay”, coinciding with the demand of 11 human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, for the Human Rights Council to establish a fact-finding mission.
“An international investigation under the auspices of the Human Rights Council may be the only hope for millions of Lebanese whose lives have been turned upside down… to get the answers they deserve,” Aya Majzoub of Human Rights Watch told AFP.
