Hundreds of people gathered near Beirut's port on Sunday to mark four years since a catastrophic explosion devastated the capital and to demand accountability, as the spectre of war hung over the commemorations.
Protesters, some holding pictures of the dead, demanded justice and accountability at the march led by relatives of the victims, who have rallied in their struggle.
“Four years have passed and the criminals have not been arrested,” said Viviane Haddad, who was injured in the blast.
“Where is justice?” he asked.
Housewife Sonia Audeh, 53, said: “We want to know who caused the explosion… who took our children, our young people.”
At 18:07 local time, the time of the explosion, protesters observed a moment of silence as ambulances and boats sounded their sirens.
Authorities said the blast was caused by a fire at a warehouse where a stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertilizer had been stored in disarray for years.
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Beirut blast survivors recall trauma a year after disaster struck Lebanese capital
Beirut blast survivors recall trauma a year after disaster struck Lebanese capital
The investigation into the blast has stalled, mired in legal and political wrangling.
Cecile Roukoz, a lawyer for the families of the victims whose brother died in the blast, listed in a speech the names of political and security officials she said had obstructed the investigation, and called on judges to “do their duty.”
William Noun, whose brother died in the blast, accused the powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah of blocking the investigation and threatening the investigating judge.
His successor, Tarek Bitar, unsuccessfully asked lawmakers to lift parliamentary immunity from members of parliament who were previously cabinet ministers.
In December 2021, Bitar suspended his investigation following a series of lawsuits, while Hezbollah accused him of bias and demanded his dismissal.
But in January last year, he resumed investigations, indicting eight new suspects, including senior security officials and Lebanon’s chief prosecutor, who in turn accused Bitar of “usurpation of power” and ordered the release of those detained in the case.
Since then the process has stalled again.
A judicial official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Agence France-Presse that Bitar “will resume his proceedings starting next week” and intends to finish “the investigation and issue his charging decision… by the end of the year.”
Bitar will set dates for questioning defendants who have not yet appeared before him, the official said.
If prosecutors or other relevant judicial officials do not cooperate, Bitar will “issue arrest warrants in absentia” against the defendants, the official added.
“The complete lack of accountability for a man-made disaster of this magnitude is astonishing,” UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement on Saturday.
“One would expect the relevant authorities to work tirelessly to remove all barriers… but the opposite is happening,” he said, calling for “an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation to provide truth, justice and accountability.”