Relatives of the more than 200 dead in the tragedy protest in the capital to demand the truth and demand an international investigation over political class inaction
Lebanon this Thursday commemorated the second anniversary of the explosion that devastated key areas of Beirut, leaving more than 200 dead and thousands injured. Relatives of the victims marched in three separate marches to the port of the capital, the epicenter of the tragedy, to once again demand truth and justice. “There is no justice under the rule of the militias and the mafia,” read one of the banners the protesters raised, referring to the ruling class.
The investigation continues to stall, not in vain, amid political interference and no state authority has yet been held responsible for the disaster, which caused the devastation that wars and natural phenomena usually cause due to the poor storage of ammonium nitrate in the port of Beirut. That is why relatives and friends of the victims called for an international investigation on Thursday, given the inaction of the Lebanese authorities.
After some of the badly damaged grain silos collapsed on Sunday, serving as sad symbols of what had happened, four more towers collapsed as protesters headed to the site to commemorate the August 4, 2020 disaster. the same scene, almost from the same spot, two years later,” Lama Hachem, 30, told AFP in the center of the capital as she observed a cloud of dust coming out of the harbor. “It’s shocking that this is being repeated for us today.” , he added, holding back his tears.
Following calls from NGOs, experts and loved ones of the victims, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that “an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation into the explosion” is necessary. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organizations, for their part, pushed for their appeal to the United Nations to send a verification mission.
Faced with the worst economic crisis in the country’s history, marked by power outages and uncontrolled inflation, the Lebanese people have increased their discomfort in recent months due to the blocking of investigations and the delays in withdrawing the immunity of the former ministers and parliamentarians whom the judge has called to testify in the context of the investigations, including former Prime Minister Hasan Diab, who resigned after the explosions.
Source: La Verdad
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