Beirut port blast families await indictment six years on

Families of people killed in the Beirut port blast gathered at the port on Tuesday, the sixth anniversary of the explosion, saying they were still waiting for justice as Lebanon's justice minister said the case could move closer to trial within 60 to 90 days.

The August 4, 2020 explosion killed more than 220 people, injured more than 6,500 and devastated large parts of Beirut. Lebanese authorities have said it was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been stored haphazardly for years despite repeated warnings to senior officials.

Hiyam al-Bikai, whose son Ahmad was killed, said no one had been held accountable or arrested. “This is an extremely painful anniversary. Our pain has not stopped and our wound has not healed,” she said.

Bikai said families were waiting for the indictment to learn how their children died, who brought and stored the nitrate and who set off the blast. “We want the full indictment, without any cover for anyone,” she said.

In March, a judicial official told AFP that investigating judge Tarek Bitar had completed his probe involving about 70 defendants, including current and former politicians, security and military officials and civil servants. The official said Bitar referred the case to the public prosecutor, who was to study it, present his opinion and then send it back to Bitar to issue the indictment.

The case remains with the public prosecutor, and nobody is in custody in Lebanon over it. Justice Minister Adel Nassar said at Tuesday's commemoration that the prosecutor was preparing his response.

“We expect that within a period of 60 to 90 days, he will refer the case back to the investigating judge, who will then issue the indictment act,” Nassar said. He said that would pave the way for a trial to begin.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that issuing the indictment was “a necessity that can no longer be delayed”. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam vowed “no cover for any official, no matter their position”.

The case had been delayed by political and legal wrangling after Hezbollah led a campaign demanding Bitar's removal and lawsuits also sought to remove him from the case. Bitar resumed his investigations last year as Lebanon's balance of power shifted and Aoun and Salam took office following a 2023-2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah that weakened the group. Several legal impediments to Bitar's work have since been removed, including the lifting of a travel ban against him.

William Noun, whose brother Joe was among the firefighters killed after being sent to the port warehouse blaze, said families were still waiting for the indictment “to know the truth”.