'Do you want us to resume our protests?': Relatives of Aug. 4 victims

Relatives of the victims of the double explosion at the Beirut Port threatened Sunday to restart their protests outside the Justice Palace if the investigation into the tragedy does not progress.

Their comments came in a statement issued after their monthly demonstration, which takes place on the fourth of each month in front of the port.

"We, the families of the victims of the Beirut Port explosion, continue to visit the graves of our children and our brothers and sisters to remind them that those responsible for their deaths remain unpunished and that the truth about what happened has still not been revealed to the Lebanese people," the relatives said.

"Do your duty, because we will not wait any longer. Do you want us, the bereaved families, to go back and protest in front of the Justice Palace to demand respect for the victims’ legitimate rights ... the truth and justice?" they added.

"How much longer do you think we will wait for a decision on the so-called usurpation of power, defamatory and false, brought by Ghassan Oueidat [former chief public prosecutor] against the investigating judge? How much longer do you think we will tolerate your delay in ruling on the appeals filed against Judge Tarek Bitar?" the families continued.

The double explosion of Aug. 4, 2020, killed more than 220 people, injured 6,500 others, and devastated entire neighborhoods of Beirut.

The families of the victims continue to demand justice, while numerous political interferences hamper the investigation. Judge Bitar is the subject of a complaint alleging usurpation of power filed in January 2023 by Ghassan Oueidat.

Relatives of the port victims have protested several times in front of the Beirut Justice Palace to denounce political interference in the case.

These sit-ins have sometimes turned violent, with burning tires outside the Justice Palace, and in January 2023, a judge briefly detained the brothers of two victims following these sit-ins.