A worker sitting amid the debris of the port of Beirut, June 27, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient-Le Jour)
As the fifth anniversary of the Beirut port double explosion on Aug. 4, 2020, approaches, the Lebanon branch of the organization Transparency International has issued a statement calling for justice for the victims and their families.
"On this day, with its wound still gaping in the collective memory of the Lebanese people, and despite five years marked by obstruction, interference and hindrances to the judicial process, we affirm that justice for the victims and for the nation starts under the arch of the court and is achieved by establishing a state governed by the rule of law, based on rights and freedoms and putting an end to impunity," the association said in a statement.
"The independence and integrity of the judiciary are essential conditions for guaranteeing accountability and justice. Our commitment to this principle is non-negotiable, especially in the face of the ongoing paralysis of the investigation and attempts to obstruct or derail it through political pressures and interference," the text continued. The investigation led by the investigative judge at the Court of Justice, Tarek Bitar, was relaunched last January after two years of political and judicial hindrances.
The statement added: "The reconstruction of a new Lebanon cannot succeed until citizens' trust in their institutions is restored and until those responsible for the destruction of the capital and the loss of human life are held accountable."
Transparency International also stressed the need for "transparent judicial appointments, fighting corruption and a comprehensive and independent reform of the judiciary." On Thursday, Parliament passed an organizational law aimed at freeing justice in Lebanon from political interference and strengthening its independence. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday evening on X that he had signed the decree on judicial appointments that afternoon.
The association also highlighted the role of the REHUB platform (www.thereformshub.org), which provides a real-time dashboard to monitor reform progress and publish official documents, "thus enabling citizens and the media to monitor the performance of authorities and have a concrete tool to strengthen transparency and accountability."
