Lebanon: Beirut Port Explosion: Five Years Later, President Promises That "Justice Is Coming"

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun promised on Monday that justice would be served, five years after the massive explosion at the port of Beirut, which has still not been fully investigated. On August 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated entire neighborhoods of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring 6,500. This disaster, which has become a symbol of the culture of impunity, was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate used as fertilizer were being stored carelessly, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.

Joseph Aoun said Monday that the Lebanese state was "committed to uncovering the whole truth, regardless of the obstacles or high positions involved." Monday has been declared a day of national mourning, and rallies demanding justice are expected to converge on the port, where the silhouettes of gutted wheat silos still rise between cranes and containers. "The law applies to everyone, without exception," the president said in a statement, promising "transparency and integrity" in the investigation. "The blood of your loved ones will not be shed in vain," he said, addressing the victims' families, adding: "Justice is coming, accountability is coming."

A first judge assigned to the investigation in 2020 threw in the towel after indicting former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers. Independent judge Tarek Bitar resumed the investigation, which he in turn had to interrupt in January 2023, encountering hostility from a large part of the political class, notably Hezbollah, which accused him of impartiality, before being prosecuted for insubordination.

After more than two years of impasse, the judge resumed his work earlier this year. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International stressed on Monday that "the path to justice remains fraught with political and judicial challenges," despite the resumption of the investigation, which was able to resume after President Aoun and his prime minister took office, having promised to preserve the independence of the judiciary.

Mariana Fodoulian, of the victims' families association, said that "for five years, those responsible have tried to evade responsibility, always thinking they are above the law." "We are asking for nothing more than the truth," she said, adding, "We will not stop until we achieve comprehensive justice."

The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, called on the authorities on Monday to "take all necessary measures to expedite the judicial proceedings related to the explosion." The US and British embassies called for accountability, while the European Union stressed on Sunday that "ending impunity is essential for Lebanon's recovery."

On Sunday, Culture Minister Ghassan Salamé announced that the partially collapsed wheat silos would be included in a list of historic buildings. Families of the victims have long called for their preservation as a memorial.