A year on, politicians accused of hindering Beirut blast justice

Rights groups and families of victims accuse officials of stalling the probe into the devastating port explosion.

Beirut, Lebanon – A year after a massive explosion at Beirut Port devastated the Lebanese capital, the victims’ grieving families are still waiting for answers, accountability and justice. More than 200 people were killed and 6,500 wounded when hundreds of tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate fertiliser stored in the port for six years ignited on August 4, 2020, in what was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. Human rights groups and families of the victims have accused the country’s leadership of obstructing Judge Tarek Bitar’s investigation, which was launched shortly after the disaster.