William Noun (left), Peter Bou Saab (right) and their lawyer Ralph Tannous in front of the Verdun police station in Beirut, June 7, 2023. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — After being questioned for two hours on Wednesday morning at Beirut's Verdun police station, William Noun and Peter Bou Saab, who each lost a brother in the deadly Beirut port explosion of Aug. 4, 2020, "pledged not to commit any further acts of vandalism," their lawyer Ralph Tannous told our reporter. However, on leaving the interrogation room, Bou Saab threatened violence.
The two men were summoned on the orders of the public prosecutor at the Beirut Court of Appeal, Ziad Abi Haidar, after burning tires in anger during a demonstration outside the Beirut courthouse on June 1.
William Noun preparing to enter the Verdun police station in Beirut, June 7, 2023. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
Tannous explained to L'Orient-Le Jour that what his clients had done was "considered by the law as an act of vandalism." He added that Noun and Bou Saab have been released on bail. "My clients have undertaken not to burn any more tires or commit any further acts of vandalism," he added, noting that "the case will be referred to judge Abi Haidar. "The latter will decide either to take no further action on the case or to refer it to the single criminal judge," the lawyer concluded.
'We had no other choice'
On leaving the police station, Bou Saab confirmed to our reporter that he had pledged not to commit any further acts of vandalism. "We had no other choice, during the interrogation. But if we have to, we'll burn tires again. We'll burn everything!" he warned. "We're going to calm down for the time being because a judge has been appointed [to investigate a lawsuit brought by prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat against Judge Tarek Bitar, in charge of the investigation into the blast]. But by Aug. 4, we won't just be burning down the courthouse; we'll burn down the whole of Lebanon," he warned.
Relatives of the Beirut explosion victims mobilize in front of Verdun barracks, Beirut, June 7, 2023, in solidarity with William Noun and Peter Bou Saab, whose brothers were killed in the explosion. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
For his part, Noun asserted that he and Bou Saab "are with the judiciary, which must however assume its role." Earlier in the day, he said that the reasons for which they were summoned "are ridiculous."
"They want us to get bored and stop mobilizing," he continued. "We launched a petition nearly a month ago calling for an international commission of inquiry to take up the case. I think more than 80 MPs will sign it. So far, Amal and Hezbollah have refused to sign it," added Noun.
'Masquerade'
"You should have used ammonium nitrate [the chemical that caused the explosion on Aug. 4, 2020], they wouldn't have arrested you," shouted one protester.
"It's a farce," said Noun's mother. His sister, Nancy, pointed to the impunity of those responsible for the case. "Those responsible for the explosion are carefree and think they are zaims; whereas we, the victims' relatives, are summoned every time we burn a tire as part of our mobilizations. Maybe they'll … accuse us of causing the explosions!" she quipped.
William and Peter were summoned and released by the State Security Department in March 2022 for painting slogans on the door of Justice Minister Henri Khoury's home.
Relatives of the victims of the explosion regularly demonstrate to denounce the obstruction of the investigation led by Bitar due to interference by politicians and even some judges.
Reporting contributed by Lyana Alameddine
