Beirut Blast charges pushing through red lines

Dr. Diab admitted that his government had received warnings about the dangers of the Beirut Port. Photo Credit: AFP

The judge Fadi Sawwan investigating the Beirut port explosion has charged Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers (former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, public works ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Youssef Finianos) with negligence which led to the devastating event in which 200 people were killed and swathes of buildings left in ruins.

Anger has been building up over the slow investigation, lack of transparency and the fact that no senior officials have been indicted. Some might find the news as a positive indication that investigation is pushing through red tape and ‘immunity’ barriers, and is one step closer to getting answers. Others might find this as another theatrical display which aims to deceive the public opinion. Hopefully the truth will be uncovered rather than laying the blaming on a few scapegoats to cover up what really happened.

This ongoing case is still making headlines in Lebanon, during which a severe economic crash is threatening the country’s existence. Doomed with corruption and other forms of negligence, solving the case will bring hope to a severely disheartened country.

A man looks at the remains of his home after it was damaged in the 4 August explosion at Beirut's port. (Alkis Konstantinidis/REUTERS)

Humanitarian Update

According to The New Humanitarian, some residents of Beirut say the help they have been promised either did not arrive, was not sufficient, sporadic, or late. This shocking truth comes after the international community pledged over 300,000 million USD for the reconstruction of Beirut. Even the government’s response has been late. Only recently have President Michel Aoun signed a law aiming to give families of those who fell during the blast, compensations and salaries. Moreover, he stated that under Law No. "196", those who were disabled as a result of the explosion can benefit from health benefits of the National Social Security Fund and from the law related to the rights of persons with special needs. As positive as the news may be, it came a little bit late during which socioeconomic conditions are only getting worse.

Communication and Public Relations Department