Three years after one of history’s largest non-nuclear explosions shook Beirut, hundreds of demonstrators marched alongside victims’ relatives to demand long-awaited justice.
As a result of political and legal constraints, no one has been held accountable for the catastrophe.
The enormous blast at Beirut harbor on August 4, 2020, damaged swaths of the Lebanese city, killing over 220 people and injured at least 6,500.
According to authorities, the calamity was caused by a fire in a warehouse where a massive stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been kept carelessly for years.
Three years later, the investigation has come to a halt, leaving survivors desperate for answers.
Protesters marched towards the port, many wearing black and carrying images of the victims, yelling chants such as “We will not forget.”
Some protestors waved a Lebanese flag smeared in blood-like crimson paint, while others carried a massive flag with a written commitment to continue fighting for justice.
“The blast investigation is hampered by the political elites and certain judges who are on their side,” said lawyer Cecile Roukoz, who lost her brother in the explosion.
She said that after three years, the international community needed to take action. “Please, it’s time to act.”
The incident occurred during an economic collapse labeled “one of the worst in recent history” by the World Bank and generally blamed on a ruling class accused of corruption and mismanagement.
