Beirut’s Port Explosion Anniversary Shrouded in Political Intrigue, Families Demand Justice and Accountability
BEIRUT (AP) — Three years after Beirut’s massive port explosion, attempts to prosecute those responsible are mired in political intrigue, the final death toll remains disputed, and many Lebanese have lost faith in their crumbling state institutions.
On the anniversary of the explosion on Friday, relatives of the victims are still fighting to have their loved ones recognized as blast victims. The chaos that has followed the August 4, 2020 explosion has made it difficult for families to seek justice. According to an Associated Press count, the blast killed at least 218 people, injured over 6,000, and caused extensive damage to Beirut, costing billions of dollars.
Among those struggling for recognition are the parents of Qusai Ramadan, a five-month-old boy and the child of Syrian refugees. They believe he was killed when the explosion caused the ceiling and a cupboard in his hospital room to collapse, crushing him. However, they have been unable to include him on the official death list, preventing them from accessing future compensation. They accuse the authorities of discriminating against non-Lebanese victims.
Calls for an international investigation into those responsible, including top officials who allowed highly flammable ammonium nitrate to be stored improperly at the port for years, have resurfaced on the blast anniversary. Lebanese and international organizations, as well as survivors and families of victims, have sent an appeal to the U.N. Rights Council, expressing their frustration at the lack of progress in achieving justice and accountability for the catastrophe.
To mark the anniversary, hundreds of people marched in the streets of Beirut, with family members of the victims calling on the international community to assist in the investigation. Carrying roses and photographs of their loved ones, the families led the march and congregated outside Beirut’s port. A moment of silence was observed at 6:07 p.m. local time, the exact moment the blast occurred, and the names of the victims were read aloud.
Mireille Bazergy Khoury, the mother of Elias Khoury, one of the blast victims, called for an international and impartial investigation within the U.N. framework. She criticized the lack of response to previous requests for action over the past three years. The death toll from the blast remains disputed, with the Maan initiative recording 236 deaths, significantly higher than the government’s count of 191. Lebanese authorities stopped counting the dead only one month after the explosion, even as some severely wounded individuals passed away later.
Qusai, the Syrian infant, is one of the victims listed by the Maan initiative. He had been receiving treatment for a severe liver condition and was transferred to a government hospital near the port a week before the explosion. According to his aunt, Noura Mohammed, the staff ordered immediate evacuation after the blast, and she found the infant dead under debris upon her return.
Although hospital officials stated that Qusai’s cause of death was cardio-respiratory arrest, his family requested that he be recognized as a victim of the blast. The request was denied. Lebanon is home to over 1 million Syrian refugees, who make up approximately 20% of the country’s population. The discrimination against non-Lebanese victims has further eroded trust in Lebanon’s domestic investigation.
As the domestic investigation falters, some victims, both Lebanese and non-Lebanese, have turned to international courts to seek justice. Many Lebanese citizens have lost faith in their country’s political class, which they believe hampers the domestic investigation. Lebanon’s top prosecutor ordered the release of all suspects detained in the investigation in January, causing further frustration among those seeking justice.
Aya Majzoub, deputy chief for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, criticized the political class for obstructing the investigation, stating that they have used both legal and extra-legal means to undermine the pursuit of justice.
Makhoul Mohammed, a Syrian citizen who was injured in the blast, plans to sue those responsible in a Canadian court. Now living in Canada, Mohammed believes that the domestic investigation will not yield results as long as Lebanon’s political class remains in power.
As the third anniversary of the Beirut port explosion passes, families of the victims continue their fight for justice and accountability. The lack of progress, political interference, and discrimination against non-Lebanese victims have further deepened the disillusionment of many Lebanese citizens in their country’s institutions. International pressure for an impartial investigation remains crucial to achieving justice for the victims and holding those responsible accountable for the devastating blast.