Investigations into the Beirut Blast are still inaccurate

What is new about it?

Report by Fouad Kazan

New Update

Photo Source: AFP

A 350-page report detailing the probable causes of the blast and those responsible for allowing it to occur, has been handed to the public prosecutor’s office but not made public. It drew on the investigations executed by Lebanon’s Intelligence Information Branch which is part of the Internal Security Forces.

 As comprehensive as the report may be, it did not mention any high-level politicians and security personnel which prompted it to receive some negative attention. For instance, The Beirut Bar Association renewed its call for investigators to summon top personnel and question them as defendants, rather than as witnesses. Also, it formed a committee that is pursuing more than 600 cases on behalf of victims of the blast and their families.

Photo Credit: Nabil Mounzer/EPA

Given the massive scale of the crime, it considered that no official is exempt from justice.  Given the fact that Lebanese citizens do not trust the Lebanese government, its politically influenced judiciary system, and its flawed intelligence services, the association called upon the international community to set up an impartial probe.

Luckily, the international community is not passive. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch have pointed to allegations of political interference in the appointment of the government’s chief investigator. For decades, UN reports have raised questions over the independence of the Lebanese judiciary. As such, local and international outcries for justice are only growing. Hopefully, the families of the victims will receive the justice they deserve.

Communication and Public Relations Department