Dozens of families of the 2020 Beirut port blast stormed the Lebanese capital’s Justice Palace, demanding a speedier resolution to the case.
Protesters displayed photographs of relatives killed in the blast and placards calling for expedited adjudication of cases impeding investigations into the explosion, according to the state news agency.
Families of the fatalities, according to the same broadcaster, staged a sit-in in front of the palace.
On August 4, 2020, an explosion caused by the ignition of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate at Beirut’s port killed over 217 people, injured hundreds, and destroyed billions of dollars worth of property.
Since December 23, 2021, investigations into the devastating explosion have been postponed pending the outcome of litigation brought by the chief investigator, judge Tarek al-Bitar.
On July 2, al-Bitar indicted 10 officials in connection with the blast, including former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and two parliamentarians from the Shia Amal movement, a Hezbollah affiliate.
However, certain Lebanese political groups, notably Hezbollah, rejected the lawsuits, claiming that al-investigations Bitar’s were “politicized” and removed from the truth.
