Relatives of the victims of the port explosion during a sit-in in Beirut, on April 4, 2025. (Rights reserved)
Relatives of the victims of the double explosion at the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020, have denounced the multiple obstacles hindering the investigation, which has stalled for months, and have called on those summoned by Judge Tarek Bitar, who is in charge of the case, to come forward and testify.
“Fifty-six months have passed since the tragic explosion ... We will continue to pursue those responsible for the bloodshed of the victims and the destruction of the capital. You would do well to present yourselves before the investigating judge because the innocent do not fear justice,” a statement released at the end of the monthly sit-in by the relatives, held on the 4th of each month, said. The statement also condemns certain attempts to “bury the investigation.”
Judge Bitar heard seven witnesses on Friday. He also scheduled a hearing for the former director of State Security, General Tony Saliba, but it was revealed that he left Lebanon for Cyprus on March 16. He will be heard next Friday.
On March 28, Bitar had already heard from seven other witnesses. The first phase of the hearings, which began on Feb. 7, concluded on March 14, with the questioning of a former General Security officer. Previously, Bitar had interrogated 14 individuals, including port officials, customs employees, General Security and army officers, as well as a manager from a maintenance and security company related to hangar No. 12, where the ammonium nitrate responsible for the catastrophe was stored.