Three months since the catastrophic explosion of Beirut port and the Lebanese people and the families of the victims haven’t seen justice yet nor any result to the investigation.
Rightfully impatient by the delay, dozens of protesters marched to the residence of Judge Fadi Sawwan in Beirut, demanding that the investigations no longer be delayed.
“We are protesting today not against the judge but against the delay. Any delay in investigation is a delay in justice,” one of the protesters told Al-Jadeed in a televised interview.
A spokeswoman for the protesters by the name of Nada Agha addressed the authorities saying: “Wounded Beirut demands punishment. Three months have passed since the port explosion and you are going around in circles in the investigations.”
Protesters warned that they will take their protest to the next level, and “engage on the streets with anyone seeking to conceal the truth” if justice is not served soon.
Ibrahim Hteit, an official spokesman for the families of the victims, warned that the next protests will be “very harsh.”
“We will block the streets until justice is fulfilled,” he said.
The deadly blast occurred on August 4th, and now three months have passed with Lebanese officials yet to provide any information on the blast investigations.
Sawwan, who is the leading judge into the port explosion, has so far received an FBI report that is inconclusive.
The French investigation report is expected in the next few days, however, the French experts on the case haven’t reached a conclusion as of yet whether the explosion was due to negligence or was intentionally provoked.
In Lebanon, no information has been released to the public, except of the various arrests.
The Lebanese judge has detained 25 officials for their roles in the port explosion, including former port director Hassan Koraytem and Customs chief Badri Daher, whom President Michel Aoun has so far refused to fire “in consideration of the principle of equality.”
Yet, no one has been held responsible so far, whether for allowing the storing of the highly dangerous substance, or for neglecting it all these years, or for igniting it.
Three months have passed and the people’s doubts that they will ever get justice are increasing.
