Will Lebanon ever see justice for the 2020 Beirut port blast?

Duelling expenses within the blast investigation have raised hopes, then crushed them.

Demonstrator holds a black and white Lebanese flag throughout a protest for households of the victims of the 2020 Beirut port explosion on the entrance of the Justice Palace in Beirut, Lebanon January 26, 2023. [Aziz Taher/Reuters]

It has been greater than two years since an infinite explosion at Lebanon’s Port of Beirut killed at the very least 218 folks and injured 7,000 – however there has nonetheless been no accountability. Households of the victims got new hope in late January when Decide Tarek Bitar reopened his dormant investigation into the blast, in addition to the leaders accused of letting it occur. However two days later, Lebanon’s Prosecutor Basic Ghassan Oweidat – a type of accused – issued his personal expenses in opposition to Bitar.

Is that this now the nail within the coffin for the blast investigation, or can the victims’ households nonetheless get justice?

On this episode: 

• Kareem Chehayeb (@chehayebk), reporter, Related Press
• Mariana Fodoulian, sister of Beirut Port-blast sufferer

Episode credit:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Amy Walters, Chloe Ok Li and our host, Malika Bilal. Chloe Ok Li, Alexandra Locke and Negin Owliaei fact-checked this episode.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Andy Greiner and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s govt producer and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Join with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Fb