The families of the victims in a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Justice after the recent developments
Like a rolling snowball, the repercussions came in Lebanon, since the judge assigned to investigate the Beirut port explosion, Tariq Al-Bitar, announced his resumption of the investigation, a year after it was suspended, ignoring political pressures, and seeking to disrupt the investigation process since he was assigned to it, and Al-Bitar had announced the resumption of the investigation on Monday. Last, January 23, and the following Tuesday, he detonated a bomb by issuing a decision to charge eight other people in the case, including Lebanon’s discriminatory public prosecutor, Ghassan Oweidat, and two high-ranking security officials.
In addition to the two former Lebanese ministers, Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zuaiter, affiliated with the Amal Party, which is led by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Al-Bitar summoned prominent personalities to present their testimonies, including former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Director of State Security Tony Saliba, who is close to former President Michel Aoun. and the Director of Public Security, Abbas Ibrahim, who is considered close to the Shiite duo, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
A split in the judicial body
That strong return by Judge Tariq Al-Bitar, and the summons and prosecution decisions he issued, ignited the situation again, with regard to the port investigations and their course, but the most dangerous thing that resulted was the emergence of a state of disunity within the Lebanese judicial body.
The discriminatory public prosecutor, Ghassan Oweidat, and after his name was included in the list of the eight new ones accused by Tariq Al-Bitar, responded on Wednesday, January 25, by releasing 17 detainees, in the port explosion case, then announced that Al-Bitar himself had been referred to the Judicial Inspection Authority, On charges of “rebellion against the judiciary and usurpation of power”, at a time when the Lebanese Public Prosecution confirms that the investigation is still pending.
On the other hand, Judge Tariq Al-Bitar responded to what Ghassan Oweidat did, with statements to Agence France-Presse, in which he said, “I am still the judicial investigator and I will not step down from the file. As for Oweidat, he has no authority to sue me.” He also refused the invitation to appear before the judiciary last Thursday, January 26th.
The front of the families of the victims is on fire
In light of all these developments, the families of the victims of Beirut Port caught fire, who followed in sorrow over a long period, how the obstacles and the bloc of influential politicians led to the suspension of the investigation for a whole year, according to their opinion, and many of the victims’ families expressed their disappointment, and that they After their disappointment, and their loss of confidence in the Lebanese political class, they have lost confidence in the Lebanese judicial system and the state of law, and they are watching the judiciary standing in the way of Judge Tariq Al-Bitar’s efforts to resume investigations and find out who is responsible for the explosion.
The recent developments led to great anger among the families of the victims of the port explosion, according to many Lebanese reports, after the families of the victims had been optimistic about Judge Al-Bitar’s decision to resume the investigation, and on Wednesday, January 25, dozens of the victims’ families demonstrated in front of a house. The Public Prosecutor of Discrimination in Lebanon, Ghassan Oweidat.
On the evening of the following day, Thursday, January 26, groups of what the government-run National News Agency described as victims’ families attempted to storm the Ministry of Justice, in protest against what they called the judicial authorities’ efforts to impede the investigation, but the Lebanese army intervened and dispersed them.
Many of the families of the victims of the Beirut port explosion do not express optimism about the future of the investigation, in light of the escalating pressures being exerted on Judge Tariq Al-Bitar, and they do not expect the possibility of him continuing to perform his mission, with his inability to implement his decisions, or to carry out the summons against influential figures, at a time. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to “adopt an urgent decision to appoint an impartial commission of inquiry.”
It is noteworthy that the investigation into the Beirut port explosion case remained suspended for a year, due to the reluctance of a number of political officials, who were summoned for investigation, at a time when the ruling political class in Lebanon considered that the judiciary had exceeded its powers, and refused to lift the immunity of former parliamentarians and security officials. Judge Tariq Al-Bitar wants to question them.
If you are Lebanese outside or inside Lebanon, how do you see the recent developments regarding the investigation into the Beirut port explosion?
If you are one of the families of the victims, tell us about your feelings after these developments?
Why did many of the families of the victims of the port explosion say that they had lost confidence in the Lebanese judicial system?
After the opposition of judicial figures to the approach of Judge Tariq Al-Bitar, do you expect the man to continue his mission?
Why do you think influential political and judicial figures stand in the way of the investigation?
How do you see calls by international human rights organizations for the United Nations to form an impartial international commission of inquiry into the port explosion?
We will discuss these and other topics with you in the Monday, January 30th episode.
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