Protesters in front of Beirut's Justice Palace on Jan. 26, 2023. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Today)
We lost. We have lost since Aug. 7, 2020, three days after the explosion at the port of Beirut, when Michel Aoun put the first nail in the coffin of the investigation by shutting the door on an international probe.We lost on Feb. 18, 2021, when Fady Sawan, the first judge tasked with the investigation, was dismissed after “daring” to lash out at officials.We lost in September 2021, when the head of Hezbollah’s security apparatus Wafik Safa, threatened to “usurp” Tarek Bitar, Fady Sawan’s successor, and neither the institutions nor the public opinion gave any reaction.We lost on Oct. 14, 2021, when a demonstration orchestrated by the Hezbollah-Amal tandem with the aim of getting rid of judge Bitar led to clashes between sectarian communities, awakening the demons of the Civil War. Read more: A snapshot of the players in the...
We lost. We have lost since Aug. 7, 2020, three days after the explosion at the port of Beirut, when Michel Aoun put the first nail in the coffin of the investigation by shutting the door on an international probe.We lost on Feb. 18, 2021, when Fady Sawan, the first judge tasked with the investigation, was dismissed after “daring” to lash out at officials.We lost in September 2021, when the head of Hezbollah’s security apparatus Wafik Safa, threatened to “usurp” Tarek Bitar, Fady Sawan’s successor, and neither the institutions nor the public opinion gave any reaction.We lost on Oct. 14, 2021, when a demonstration orchestrated by the Hezbollah-Amal tandem with the aim of getting rid of judge Bitar led to clashes between sectarian communities, awakening the demons of the Civil War. Read more: A snapshot of the players in...