Feature: Bereaved families in Lebanon expect justice for victims of Beirut blasts

2021-05-05 10:35:19 GMT2021-05-05 18:35:19(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

by Dana Halawi

BEIRUT, May 5 (Xinhua) -- For 30-year-old Gilbert al-Karaan, the huge explosions that ripped through the Port of Beirut on Aug 4, 2020 and decimated almost half of the Lebanese capital are so indelible that he has not been able to emerge from the misery of losing his beloved fiancee in the tragedy.

His fiancee Sahar Fares, then a 27-year-old paramedic, rushed to Beirut's port just ahead of the explosions to provide first aid as the fire brigade was trying to extinguish the flames that were consuming a warehouse at the port.

However, the unexpected double explosions there claimed their lives as well as those of about 200 others and wounded at least 6,000.

"I may get used to the idea that Sahar is no longer here but I can never forget about this tragedy ... Nothing will ever make me happy again," Karaan, who was supposed to marry his fiancee in June of this year, told Xinhua.

Currently, bringing justice for his fiancee has become a central target in Karaan's life.

"Justice will not bring back Sahar, but it may at least deter criminals from engaging in such crimes and threatening lives of future generations in this country," he said.

The same is the case for William Noun, 27, who has been closely following up on investigations to bring justice for his brother, one of the firefighters killed in the Beirut explosions.

Noun shut down his restaurant after the explosions to focus on investigations by judges and security agencies.

"I visit the justice palace every day to meet with lawyers and judges," he said, noting he will accept nothing less than justice for the victims of the explosions.

"Parents are suffering tremendously and they deserve to know how their children died and who killed them," the Lebanese young man explained.

Ibrahim Hoteit, who also lost his brother in the explosions, said justice is a goal for the whole nation and not just the families of the victims.

"If we do not succeed in identifying people behind the crime and putting them in jail, we won't be able to make any changes to our corrupt system," Hoteit told Xinhua.

A local probe was launched in the wake of the deadly blasts at Beirut's port, with the participation of a team of the U.S. FBI and French investigators during the initial stage. The Lebanese authorities announced that the tragedy was caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in one of the port's warehouses since 2013.

However, investigations were temporarily delayed as two former ministers, Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter, requested on Feb. 18 the Court of Cassation to transfer the case from the former lead investigator Fadi Sawwan to a new judge.

The two ministers made the request after they were charged by Sawwan with criminal negligence in the case of the explosions. A day later, the Higher Judicial Council approved the appointment of Tarek Bitar as the new lead investigator of the Beirut blast case.

While families of victims were initially angered by the removal of Sawwan from the case, they have now expressed hope about reaching positive results with the new judge.

"I am hopeful about the potential of reaching positive results with Bitar. We still have good judges in this country," Hoteit told Xinhua.

"We are keen to find out who allowed the entry of ammonium nitrate to the country and to hold accountable all those who ignored the presence of such dangerous material at the port," Noun told Xinhua, adding the new judge promised to undertake unbiased investigations despite possible political pressure.

The probe has so far led to the arrest of at least 25 suspects, six of whom were released by Bitar last month.

Youssef Lahoud, the lawyer who represents around 1,400 victims of the explosions, told Xinhua that such a big crime usually requires a lot of time and enormous efforts to reach proper results, especially with the absence of satellite images that show the port "before, during and after" the devastating explosions. Enditem

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