August 4, 2022

Opinion: Where is the Justice for the August 4th Beirut Explosion

It has been two years since the Beirut explosion on August 4, 2020 and the Lebanese people are still looking for justice and accountability.

The Beirut blast was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions recorded in the world, yet high Lebanese officials succeeded in halting the investigation for two years now to avoid holding accountable officials found to be suspects in this horrible crime.

Immediately following the blast, Judge Fadi Sawan led the investigation behind the August 4th blast but was then removed in December 2020 due to pressure from ex-ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeitar. Judge Tarek Bitar was then appointed to take over the investigation. Once Judge Bitar sought to question senior officials in the government, including Ali Hassan Khalil, Ghazi Zeitar, and Major General Abbas Ibrahim, he was threatened and the investigation came to a halt.

The Amer Fakhoury Foundation condemns the constant suppression of the truth by the hezbollah backed Lebanese government. We call on the United Nations to look into who was responsible for the Beirut explosion and hold these individuals accountable. Lives were lost, people were injured, and houses were destroyed. With respect to the victims of the Beirut explosions, AFF calls for accountability.