As Lebanon marks the fourth anniversary of the devastating Beirut port explosion, the nation remains haunted by the tragedy and the unresolved calls for justice amid ongoing political and economic turmoil.

On August 4, 2020, a deafening explosion tore through Beirut’s port, shattering the city and leaving the country in mourning. The blast, caused by the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse, sent shockwaves across the capital, killed at least 220 people, injured thousands and caused widespread destruction. Windows were blown out, buildings crumbled and lives were forever altered.

The incident, one of the world’s largest non-nuclear explosions, resulted in billions of dollars in damage and left an indelible mark on the city and its residents. Many Lebanese blame the blast on the corruption and mismanagement of the political elite, which also contributed to a financial meltdown that began in 2019.

Stalled investigations

What caused the ammonium nitrate to ignite remains a mystery. Probes into the incident have been marred by political interference. Several officials and top politicians have been accused of negligence, yet no progress has been made in holding those responsible accountable. The culture of impunity that prevails in Lebanon has only deepened the frustration of those affected.

Last month, the survivors and relatives of the blast’s victims as well as Lebanese and international organizations wrote a joint letter, calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish a fact-finding mission to uncover the truth.

“An investigation into the explosion remains stalled and continues to be hampered by systemic obstruction, interference, intimidation and a political impasse,” read the letter. “Victims of the blast and their families have been left with no recourse for truth and justice, as Lebanese officials have repeatedly obstructed the course of the domestic investigation.”

Earlier this year, an arrest warrant against former Public Works Minister Youssef Fenianos was suspended. The warrant had been issued by Judge Tarek Bitar, who faced significant opposition from Lebanon’s ruling class until his removal in 2021.

Bitar’s inquiry has been persistently hindered by legal challenges, particularly from former ministers he aimed to interrogate. In early 2023, Bitar unexpectedly resumed his probe and charged additional senior figures, including Abbas Ibrahim, a high-ranking security official at the time of the blast.

However, Lebanon’s top prosecutor, Ghassan Oueidat, accused Bitar of overstepping his authority and ordered the release of all individuals detained since the explosion, including the former head of the Beirut port authority, putting the probe on hold again.

One lawyer, who lost her brother in the explosion, said she is seeking justice on behalf of the victims’ relatives.

“Justice is a right. What we are asking for it on behalf of the victims’ relatives is a right. They need to know what happened. The victims were killed without reason or justification, merely as a result of corruption,” lawyer Cecile Roukoz told Al Arabiya English.

“We will not rest until we find out who killed them and make sure they are held accountable,” she added.
Last February, the president of the High Judicial Council, Souhail Abboud, appointed the president of the seventh Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, Jamal Hajjar, to the position of acting public prosecutor, replacing Ghassan Oueidat, who reached retirement age.

“We hope now that the investigations will be reactivated and that previous unlawful administrative decisions made by Oueidat will be overturned,” noted Roukoz, who also represents the relatives of the victims.

Documenting the voices of the affected

Journalist Dalal Mawad was among the first to report on the port’s explosion on the ground. At the time, she was a senior producer and correspondent with the Associated Press. Moved by the devastation she witnessed, Mawad wrote All She Lost, a book that chronicles the aftermath of the blast through the stories of Lebanese women. She describes her work as a “collective memoir” that captures Lebanon’s modern history through the voices of women.

The women in her book recount their personal experiences with the Beirut explosion and the economic crisis, reflecting on their losses. Their narratives represent the tale of Lebanon as a nation, Beirut as a city and the country that is no more.

“I wanted readers to understand how these women are survivors of multiple crises, never fully healing as they endure trauma upon trauma,” Mawad told Al Arabiya English. “This condition is reflective of every Lebanese person. These women are all victims of impunity, and for them, history repeats itself because of this lack of accountability.”

Lebanon has a long history of fostering a culture of impunity, which has perpetuated violence and hindered justice. For decades, street battles, political assassinations and rampant corruption have gone unpunished in the country, leading to predictable consequences. Human Rights Watch has documented how ignoring atrocities in Lebanon encourages future abuses.

“I went to talk to these women about August 4, 2020 only to realize that their tragedy is but one among many they have had to survive. I was appalled by how much emotional burden they still carried from the civil war, how August 4 has triggered so many other hardships,” said Mawad. “I don’t think the Lebanese are resilient. They are strong and they keep going, but they don’t move forward. They don’t overcome their challenges and build a better future from that. They are unable to break free. They conform, adjust and normalize what should not be normalized.”

The quest for justice

As time passes, the families of the victims persist in their fight for accountability.

“Four years since the horrific crime, not a single ruling has been made in Lebanon, and there are no detainees in the case,” said Karlen Hitti-Karam, whose husband, brother and cousin – all firefighters –were killed responding to the blast. “Those previously detained were released. They have either fled the country, gone into hiding or returned to their normal lives and work as if nothing happened.”

Disillusioned with the local judicial process, some have started filing cases abroad against companies linked to the importation of the ammonium nitrate.

In June last year, a British court ordered London-registered chemical trading firm Savaro Ltd. to pay compensation to some families of the hundreds of victims. The company was found liable for delivering the ammonium nitrate that caused the 2020 explosion at Beirut’s port.

The chemicals had been shipped to Lebanon in 2013. Senior political and security officials were aware of their presence and potential danger but failed to act.

“Our anger is growing day by day. We will not rest until the truth prevails,” emphasized Hitti-Karam.

Tracy Naggear, mother of three-year-old Alexandra, one of the youngest victims of the Beirut’s port explosion, echoes Hitti-Karam’s rage.

“We should be mourning our loved ones and moving forward with our lives, rather than remaining trapped in bitterness and frustration,” she pointed out. “Instead, we’ve spent the past four years working tirelessly to find solutions and achieve justice. This constant struggle itself is a profound injustice.”

Mawad believes that her book, authored by the victims rather than the perpetrators, serves the cause of truth, but she stresses that documentation alone is insufficient. “Without accountability, there is no way forward,” she emphasized.

Naggear, meanwhile, urged the international community to recognize the failings of Lebanon’s government and support the pursuit of justice.

“My message is for the international community to see that these warlords are both incapable and unwilling to deliver justice. As long as they fail to assist us, as long as we, the victims of the August 4 blast, and Lebanon itself remain without redress, peace will continue to elude us.”