Lebanon Pushes for Justice as President Demands Beirut Port Blast Indictment
BEIRUT — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday urged the judiciary to issue a long-awaited indictment over the 2020 Beirut port blast, on the eve of the catastrophe’s sixth anniversary.
“The issuing of the indictment by the investigating judge has become a necessity that can no longer be delayed,” Aoun said in a statement.
The massive explosion on August 4, 2020, killed more than 220 people, injured over 6,500, and damaged swathes of the capital. Authorities have said the blast was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored haphazardly for years, despite repeated warnings to senior officials.
Nobody has been held accountable for the disaster, with victims and their families still demanding justice in a country long plagued by official impunity.
Justice “means upholding rights, revealing the whole truth without any omission, and holding accountable” all those who were negligent or caused the catastrophe “whatever their position,” Aoun said.
Judge Tarek Bitar had completed his probe involving some 70 defendants including politicians, security and military officials, and civil servants. The case had been bogged down by political and legal wrangling since 2023, after Hezbollah led a campaign demanding Bitar’s removal. However, Bitar resumed investigations last year after the 2023-2024 war weakened the group.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on X that “there can be no settlement at the expense of justice” and vowed “no cover for any official, no matter their position.” He added that “accountability will not spare anyone.”
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