Families of Beirut port blast victims welcome call for international probe

Family relatives holding up pictures of their beloved ones who were killed in the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port blast. Victims’ families have welcomed the condemnation of systematic interference in its investigation at a Geneva conference. (AFP/File)

• The lawyer representing the victims’ families, Cecile Roukoz, told Arab News: “The statement is not bad, but it does not truly meet our expectations.”
• Human Rights Council members — including European countries, Canada, and the UK — believe that the probe was stalled due to systematic obstruction, interference, intimidation and political deadlock

BEIRUT: The families of the victims of the Beirut port explosion have welcomed the condemnation of systematic interference in its investigation at a Geneva conference, where multiple countries called on Lebanon to abide by its international obligations.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday by 38 countries at the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Australian envoy, on behalf of member countries, called for a “swift, independent, impartial, credible and transparent investigation” into the Aug. 4, 2020 blast.
The lawyer representing the victims’ families, Cecile Roukoz, told Arab News: “The statement is not bad, but it does not truly meet our expectations. We aspired for an international fact-finding committee. But the statement is indeed important because it shows that countries are aware that there is a systematic obstruction to the investigation, and it includes a reminder of the rights of the victims. We will continue to demand the formation of a fact-finding committee.”
Human Rights Council members — including European countries, Canada, and the UK — believe that the probe was stalled due to systematic obstruction, interference, intimidation and political deadlock.
Volker Türk, UN high commissioner for human rights, said: “There is an urgent need for a serious investigation without political interference or further delay.”
Michèle Taylor, the permanent US representative to the council, stressed the need to conduct a rapid and transparent investigation, as “the lack of progress so far proves the need for judicial reform.”
Roukoz said: “The families have full confidence in Judge Tarek Bitar, the judicial investigator in charge of the probe. We respect the Lebanese judiciary, but the obstruction caused us to demand an international fact-finding committee that accompanies the work of the Lebanese judiciary through its reports.
“Lebanon is a signatory to treaties related to human rights, and individuals whose rights are violated can submit complaints directly to the committees supervising human rights treaties. The Human Rights Council voted in its session to consider the port explosion a crime against human rights and voted in favor of our right to live, and the Lebanese state has a duty to respect its obligations.”
Explaining the most recent obstructions, Roukoz said the public prosecutor has accused Bitar of usurping power, pointing out that these accusations are being investigated and the families are awaiting the results to see how to move forward with the case.
A judicial source told Arab News: “The formation of an international committee to assist the judicial investigator does not negate Bitar’s role. We have to wait until June to find out how things will turn out.”
Speaking on behalf of the families of the Beirut fire brigade, whose members were killed in the explosion, Peter Bou Saab, the brother of victim Joe Bou Saab, told Arab News: “What the Human Rights Council concluded is very new, and it is a first step on the road to an international investigation, and there are steps we will follow to reach this investigation. We will not stop. What happened is the result of joint efforts by the families and the 48 MPs who signed a petition calling for an international investigation, which helped convince the countries of the obstruction put up by the Lebanese judiciary.”
The families and lawyers are betting on exerting more pressure to form an international fact-finding committee at the next Human Rights Council session in June.
The Aug. 4 Gathering, a civil society bloc formed to support the families of the victims, believe that the continuous efforts of the latter — in cooperation with local and international human rights organizations — are what led to the statement issued by the 38 countries.
The group said: “These efforts will continue, especially during the Human Rights Council session in June, with the aim of having the decision to form an international fact-finding committee. This comes in light of the continued suspension of the internal investigation into the crime and interference to obstruct justice.”
The Human Rights Council consists of 47 state representatives, and its mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world by addressing cases of violations and making recommendations thereon.
A French judicial delegation to investigate the Beirut port explosion visited the Lebanese capital in mid-January and met Bitar and the public prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oweidat.
France is conducting an internal investigation into the crime, as two French nationals, Jean-Marc Bonfils and Therese Khoury, were killed in the explosion. The two are among the 52 non-Lebanese victims, or those who hold Lebanese citizenship and another nationality, who died in the explosion.
French authorities had already sent a letter of assistance to the Lebanese judiciary, which remains unanswered due to litigation claims.
Meanwhile, Bitar was forced to withdraw from the case a year ago due to complaints filed against him by politicians he had accused of being involved in the crime.
However, the Supreme Judicial Council in Lebanon was unable to appoint a substitute judge due to the lack of quorum and consensus.