Survivors of Beirut port blast lose faith in Lebanese-led inquiry

 

Ghassan Hasrouty entered his office at the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, two years prior. He had been employed there steadily for the previous 38 years. That day, he would not go back home.

 

In Warehouse 12, where Hasrouty was working, hundreds of tonnes of dangerously stored ammonium nitrate caught fire at 6:07 p.m. local time. He was instantaneously slain, as did a number of his coworkers.

 

The port and a large portion of the Lebanese capital were destroyed by the third largest non-nuclear explosion ever recorded in history.

 

More than 7,000 people were injured, at least 220 people died, and a city that was already experiencing a political and economic crisis was rendered paralysed by a mushroom cloud of pink haze.

 

"The port explosion investigation will be open and transparent. Any officials responsible would be held accountable in five days, declared Mohammed Fahmi, Lebanon's interior minister at the time, following the explosion.

 

And yet, two years later, the official Lebanese state's inquiry is still inactive as families continue to suffer from the destruction of their homes, businesses, and loved ones.

 

On July 31, a portion of the port's now ominously famous grain silos collapsed, scattering dust over the city and bringing back painful memories of the explosion.

 

Plans for the silos, which were severely damaged yet remarkably survived the 2020 blast despite taking much of its force, were recently approved by the Lebanese Cabinet.

 

Residents of Beirut and victim support groups have expressed fury over the decision and demanded that the silos be kept until a thorough and appropriate inquiry into the explosion is completed.

 

Many blame the Lebanese government's corruption and poor management for the explosion and its consequences.

 

The existing quo, which dates back to the 1975–1990 civil war, has made those in power almost untouchable, and as the case passes from one presiding judge to the next, it has reduced the investigation to little more than a finger-pointing contest.

 

By doing so, politicians have practically guaranteed the total impunity of officials who have been sought after for interrogation, arrest, and prosecution for a long time.

 

More than 25 petitions calling for the firing of Judge Tarek Bitar and other investigators have been submitted by officials who may have been involved in the explosion.

 

Judge Bitar has accused four former top officials of willful carelessness that caused the explosion that killed hundreds of people.

 

As a result of the suspects' legal objections against the judge, the inquiry was almost completely suspended in December 2021.

 

Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zaaiter, two of these figures, have just won reelection to the House of Representatives.

 

"After watching how the authorities responded to the explosion, I realise that obtaining justice will be difficult. Tatiana Hasrouty, Ghassan's daughter, told Arab News that after two years, the corrupt regime is only obstructing investigations and eluding justice.

 

She claimed that the corruption was well ingrained and was clearly visible when Maj. Gen. Imad Othman, the director general of the Internal Security Forces, was seen with Ghazi Zaaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil — two guys for whom he was meant to be issuing arrest warrants but chose not to.