Lebanon’s President Presses for Beirut Port Blast Indictment
BEIRUT- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday called on the country’s judiciary to issue a long-awaited indictment in the investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion, urging judicial authorities to move forward with the case ahead of the sixth anniversary of one of Lebanon’s deadliest peacetime disasters.
In a statement issued on the eve of the anniversary, Aoun said the investigating judge should no longer delay issuing the indictment, describing the move as an essential step toward delivering justice for victims and their families.
The explosion at Beirut’s port on Aug. 4, 2020, killed more than 220 people, injured over 6,500 and devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital. Lebanese authorities have said the blast was triggered by a fire that ignited thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored unsafely in a warehouse for years despite repeated warnings to senior officials.
No one has been held accountable for the explosion, and victims’ families have continued to demand that those responsible be brought to justice.
Aoun said justice required uncovering the full truth and holding accountable all those whose negligence or actions contributed to the disaster, regardless of their official position. He also urged the judiciary to demonstrate its independence, describing the indictment as both a legal obligation and a moral duty owed to those who lost their lives and their relatives.
The investigation has been led by Judge Tarek Bitar, whose inquiry has repeatedly faced political and legal obstacles. A judicial official told AFP in March that Bitar had completed his investigation involving about 70 defendants, including politicians, military officers, security officials and civil servants.
Under Lebanon’s judicial procedures, the case was transferred to the public prosecutor for review before being returned to Bitar for the issuance of an indictment. The file remains with the public prosecutor.
The investigation has been stalled by political disputes and legal challenges since 2023. Iran-backed Hezbollah led a campaign calling for Bitar’s removal from the case, while numerous lawsuits sought to block or replace the investigating judge.
Bitar resumed his investigation last year after shifts in Lebanon’s political landscape. The appointment of President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam followed the 2023-2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah, a conflict that weakened the group’s political influence. Several legal restrictions affecting Bitar’s work, including a travel ban imposed on him, have since been lifted.
Prime Minister Salam reiterated the government’s support for judicial accountability, saying there could be no political compromise at the expense of justice, even if the process had been delayed.
In a statement posted on X, Salam pledged that no public official would be shielded from accountability, whether in the Beirut port explosion investigation or any other case, and said responsibility would extend to anyone found to have committed wrongdoing.
