Hundreds protest as Lebanon marks 3 years since Beirut blast

Lebanon marked three years since one of history's biggest non-nuclear explosions rocked Beirut with hundreds of protesters marching alongside victims' families on Friday to demand long-awaited justice.

Nobody has been held to account for the tragedy as political and legal pressures impede the investigation.

On August 4, 2020, the massive blast at Beirut port destroyed swathes of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring at least 6,500.

Authorities said the disaster was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where a vast stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been haphazardly stored for years.

Three years on, the probe is virtually at a standstill, leaving survivors still yearning for answers.

Protesters, many of them wearing black and carrying photographs of the victims, marched towards the port shouting slogans including: "We will not forget".

"Our pain inspires our persistence to search for the truth," said protester Tania Daou-Alam, 54, who lost her husband in the explosion.

Lack of justice "is the biggest example of rampant corruption in Lebanon, and we can no longer bear it," she said.

ALSO READ:

• Lebanon warns Palestinian president that troops may intervene if clashes continue in refugee camp

• Israeli air chief warns of security threat from judicial reform crisis

• Lebanon economic crisis means more work for craftsmen

The blast struck amid an economic collapse which the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in recent history and which is widely blamed on a governing elite accused of corruption and mismanagement.

Some protesters waved a Lebanese flag covered in blood-like red paint while others carried an enormous flag covered in a written pledge to keep fighting for justice.

"I have the right to know why my fellow Lebanese were killed," said protester Jad Mattar, 42.

"It's like living on top of a volcano, not knowing were it will explode. We want safety," he added.

Since its early days, the probe into the explosion has faced a slew of political and legal challenges.

In December 2020, lead investigator Fadi Sawan charged former prime minister Hassan Diab and three ex-ministers with negligence.

But as political pressure mounted, Sawan was removed from the case.

His successor, Tarek Bitar, unsuccessfully asked lawmakers to lift parliamentary immunity for MPs who were formerly cabinet ministers.

The powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group has launched a campaign against Bitar, accusing him of bias and demanding his dismissal.

The interior ministry has refused to execute arrest warrants which the lead investigator has issued.

"If those responsible are not held accountable, it will put the country on a trajectory that allows this kind of crime to be repeated," HRW's Lama Fakih told AFP at the protest.