A new step in the investigation of the Beirut port explosion is following the establishment of the new parliament, in which the families of the martyrs and victims are pinning their hopes on a wide parliamentary coalition. They seek a practical plan to issue judicial decisions and hold accountable those responsible who have evaded justice until now. This comes amid a significant political shift the country has experienced after the May 15 elections, which is anticipated to have a positive impact on the course of the port explosion investigation. Will it succeed?
In this context, families of the martyrs, victims, and injured from the Beirut port explosion will hold a press conference at 6 PM tomorrow, where for the first time, a comprehensive report will be presented. This report will provide a detailed explanation of the various stages that followed the explosion, in collaboration with the Human Rights Association in Lebanon.
According to reports, the families have invited all MPs to participate in the conference, which will be covered by foreign media and attended by representatives from Lebanese and international organizations interested in the cause, excluding two MPs, Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zaiter, who are under suspicion and refuse to appear before the investigation. As of now, 50 MPs have confirmed their attendance, and a discussion will be opened with them aimed at unifying a parliamentary-popular-judicial roadmap for the upcoming phase.
The "Republic" has reported that the report, which will be sent directly to the relevant international parties, consists of three sections. The first section includes documents, data, and audio-visual evidence revealing previously undisclosed truths since August 4, 2020, showcasing the authorities' negligence from the first moment of the explosion in silo number 12 and for a full month thereafter. It also highlights the documented errors in DNA identification that led to several victims, particularly members of the Beirut firefighting brigade, being buried more than once, as well as the reasons for preventing families of the martyrs and victims from accessing the crime scene on August 5.
The second section addresses the broader and more critical aspect of the report, documenting with dates and video footage the repression and assaults by security forces against families, including physical harm during protests that demanded accountability from government leaders, ministers, and security officials summoned by the investigating judges in the case—Judge Fadi Sawan in the first phase and Judge Tarek Bitar in the second. They called for these officials to appear for questioning and for lifting immunities from those responsible, as requested by the judiciary in preparation for accountability regarding the crime that resulted in the deaths of 216 individuals and injuries to thousands.
The report will also present eyewitness testimonies of the intense confrontations faced by the families against the state, which led to the detention of several individuals for hours, as well as the activities of lawyers and human rights advocates, and the various legal steps that have been taken since the judicial file on the explosion was opened to date. This includes requests for dis qualification and petitions against the state, as well as legal details regarding the accused and efforts to internationalize the case, especially after 145 entities—comprising Lebanese and international human rights organizations, survivors, and families of the victims—sent a joint letter to the UN Human Rights Council calling for the establishment of an "independent and neutral international investigative mission" to investigate "the Lebanese state's failure to protect their rights," denouncing the "questioning of Judge Tarek Bitar's impartiality, who is investigating this case and facing accusations of 'politicization' from political forces, chiefly Hezbollah."
The fourth section of the report will be dedicated to the humanitarian and memorial gestures honoring the martyrs, victims, and injured, along with the Lebanese and foreign entities standing in solidarity with the families and actively supporting justice and truth in this case.
Will the opposing parliamentary force be able to dismantle the political shields that the streets have failed to bring down? The answers lie in the coming days and months.
