First anniversary of the Beirut Port blast
Geneva/Beirut/Washington: A year ago, the Lebanese capital, Beirut, was rocked by explosions that left, according to official figures, more than 200 people dead and more than 6,000 injured. The explosions on August 4, 2020 ripped through the city, causing appalling devastation and changing the lives of thousands of people forever.
There was initially a powerful spirit of national solidarity as all elements of society came together in response, and the Government initiated judicial proceedings. But 12 months on, victims and their loved ones are still fighting for justice and truth. Investigations appear to have stalled, amid a worrying lack of transparency and accountability.
As the first anniversary of the Beirut Port blast approached, the USA renewed its calls to quickly form a government in Lebanon that is empowered and that is committed to implementing critical reforms. The USA is of the view that it was critical that Lebanese political leaders set aside their political differences and form a government that was committed to and empowered to enact these reforms. “The Lebanese people for far too long have been left to, in many cases, suffer because of the political impasse, the political intransigence and inflexibility that Lebanon’s political leaders have demonstrated. With the appointment of [Najib Azmi] Mikati as prime minister-designate, we are renewing our calls for the Lebanese Government to make that progress, to show flexibility, and to put the interests of the Lebanese people ahead of their own political or personal interests,” Ned Price, Department Spokesperson at the US Department of State had said on August 2, 2021.
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Despair deepens and anger mounts in Lebanon. In view of such a situation, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet stressed the urgent need for the Lebanese Government to ensure a transparent, effective, thorough and impartial investigation into what happened last August and to hold those responsible accountable.
The High Commissioner also called on the authorities to uphold the right of victims to effective remedy and reparations.
One victim, who lost her husband, her brother and a cousin in the blast, said she would keep seeking the truth to her last breath. The authorities must pursue the investigations with similar resolve.
In Beirut, the Caretaker Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad Najd, said that as the nation observed a minute of silence in mourning of innocent victims who died “treacherously and unjustly, perhaps the only consolation and hope is the unity of all the Lebanese in the face of this painful affliction, and let justice have the final say in this dossier, and the Lebanese unite around the word of truth and justice”.
– global bihari bureau
Good work