Palestinian factions lament release of suspect in ‘death boat’ case

The Palestinian factions of the Beddawi camp in northern Lebanon expressed in a statement "their regret and indignation" at the decision to release a suspect in the so-called "death boat" case, a shipwreck off Tripoli that claimed the lives of 40 people in April 2022.

They deplored a decision that constitutes "a huge shock for the families of the victims" and "a disregard for the blood of the innocents who paid the price of poverty and deprivation," while considering that it "sends a negative message to the families of the martyrs and the missing, making them feel that justice has disappeared and that those who traffic in human lives can evade any punishment."

‘Can there be a crime without a criminal?’

The identity of the suspect released by the military tribunal was not disclosed.

A member of the Dandashi family, described as the organizer of the crossing, had been arrested and then released by the authorities. Among the 40 victims, including Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian nationals, seven bodies of people who drowned, including a young girl, were recovered, while 33 others remain missing.

Forty-five others escaped drowning in the shipwreck, which occurred 5.5 kilometers off the coast of Qalamoun, south of Tripoli, on April 23, 2022.

Several of these survivors later gave testimony about the incident, while the circumstances surrounding the shipwreck have not yet been formally established by the courts.

According to an investigation by the media outlet Megaphone, in partnership with a network of independent Arab media based in Berlin, the incident was caused by Lebanese Navy vessels that allegedly rammed into the boat in an attempt to dissuade it from continuing, causing it to capsize.

This version was denied by the Lebanese Army, which pointed to the overcrowding of the boat, which had nearly 85 passengers on board, although it was only designed to carry six to 10 people.

The military institution instead accused the boat operator of being responsible for the collision.

The Palestinian factions have thus called on the military tribunal to reconsider "this unjust decision, to continue the investigation to its end and to bring to justice all those responsible for this crime that shocked human conscience."

They added: "Is it conceivable that there is a crime without a criminal?" before calling on the judicial authorities and local and international humanitarian organizations to raise their voices in protest against this decision.