STORY: Lebanese commemorate Beirut port blasts, call for justice for victims
DATELINE: Aug. 5, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:51
LOCATION: Beirut
CATEGORY: SOCIETY
 
SHOTLIST:
1. various of the march
5. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ZEINA KHOURY, Family of the victim
6. various of families of the victims
7. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): LAMA HAIDAR, Participant
8. various of families of the victims marching and asking for justice for their loved ones
9. various of the march
 
STORYLINE:
 
Thousands of Lebanese took to the streets on Friday to mark the third anniversary of the Beirut port blasts, which killed over 220 people and injured thousands of others.
 
Families of the victims who died in the blasts urged authorities to accelerate investigations into the incident to bring justice to their loved ones.
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): ZEINA KHOURY, Family of the victim
"We came here because, after three years, we still have hope; we are still asking for justice for all the victims who died on Aug. 4, 2020, including my sister Diana Khoury. We came here to tell everyone that we exist and ask for justice, hoping the day will come when we reach justice if God wills."
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): LAMA HAIDAR, Participant
"God bless the souls of the victims. We ask for justice for us to know the truth, for us to be relieved, and for the victims to be relieved in their graves."
 
The investigation into the port explosion was suspended because of disagreements between political forces regarding interrogating former ministers suspected of negligence.
 
The judicial investigator into the blasts, Judge Tarek Bitar, was suspended from completing the investigation in December 2021, pending a decision on lawsuits filed against him by several deputies and ministers accusing him of violating the provisions of the constitution and laws.
 
Bitar had accused several former ministers, including former Prime Minister Hassan Diab, former Ministers of Public Works Youssef Fenianos and Ghazi Zeaiter, of negligence at the time of the explosion.
 
Judge Bitar re-opened the investigation in January this year by pressing charges against several security officials. However, the Public Prosecutor Ghassan Oweidat considered the charges as void, saying the judiciary has not yet decided on cases calling for Bitar's suspension from probing the case or transferring the investigation to another judge.
 
The Beirut port was rocked by two massive explosions on Aug. 4, 2020, killing over 220 people, injuring thousands, and destroying around 50,000 housing units with material losses estimated at 15 billion U.S. dollars.
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beirut.
(XHTV)