Six years after Beirut port blast, victims' families say 'wound has not healed'

Families of victims of the Beirut port explosion gathered Tuesday on the sixth anniversary of the catastrophe, demanding answers and accountability in a country long plagued by official impunity.

"No matter how bad the painful circumstances in Lebanon become... the crime of August 4 is not behind us," said Cecile Roukoz, a lawyer whose brother died in the blast.

"Knowing the truth and holding the criminals to account remains the priority," she told the crowd gathered near the port.

Some held images of their loved ones or Lebanese flags, while the names of those killed were projected on a large screen.

The massive explosion on August 4, 2020 killed more than 220 people, injured more than 6,500 and laid waste to swathes of the capital.

Lebanese authorities have said the explosion was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been stored haphazardly for years, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.

Nobody has yet been held accountable.

Roukoz urged the judiciary to take action, "because delayed justice is a continuation of injustice".

In March, a judicial official told AFP that judge Tarek Bitar had completed his probe involving some 70 defendants, including current and former politicians, security and military officials, and civil servants.

He referred the case to the public prosecutor who was to study it, present his opinion and then refer it back to Bitar to issue the indictment.

- 'Hope for justice' -

The case is still with the public prosecutor, and nobody is in custody in Lebanon over it.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar told AFP that a decision from the prosecutor was expected "within a period of 60 to 90 days".

"It is the right of the victims, and of the Lebanese people too, in the face of a crime of this magnitude, for the truth to come out and justice to be served," he said.

Hanaa Karam, whose brother and two other relatives were among the firefighters sent to their deaths when the blaze erupted at the warehouse, told AFP: "We live in the hope for justice."

"We have lost so much," she said, adding that their home was filled "with sorrow and tears".

At another gathering earlier Tuesday, Hiyam al-Bikai, whose son Ahmad was killed, said: "Our pain has not stopped and our wound has not healed."

"We are waiting for the indictment in order to know how our children died, who brought the nitrate, who stored it, who set off the blast," Bikai told AFP. "We want them to be held to account." 

- 'Great crime' -

On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said an indictment was "a necessity that can no longer be delayed", while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam vowed "no cover for any official".

The case had been bogged down by political and legal wrangling after Iran-backed Hezbollah pushed for Bitar's removal. Dozens of lawsuits also sought to remove him.

But Bitar resumed his investigations last year as Lebanon's balance of power shifted after fighting between Israel and Hezbollah weakened the group.

Families of the victims of the port blast have not given up on their demand for justice.

William Noun, 32, said his brother Joe was among the firefighters killed in "the great crime" six years ago.

"I spent 10 days here, it was hell, until we found something of my brother's remains," he told AFP.

"We're now at the end of the investigation... and are awaiting the indictment" to know the truth, he added.

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