{"id":127198,"date":"2026-08-03T15:10:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T15:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/?p=127198"},"modified":"2026-08-03T15:11:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T15:11:31","slug":"aoun-calls-on-lebanese-judiciary-to-issue-indictment-in-beirut-port-blast-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/aoun-calls-on-lebanese-judiciary-to-issue-indictment-in-beirut-port-blast-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Aoun Calls on Lebanese Judiciary to Issue Indictment in Beirut Port Blast Case"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aoun: Indictment in Beirut Port Blast Case Can No Longer Be Delayed, Justice Is the Victims\u2019 Right<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that issuing the indictment in the Beirut Port explosion case has become an urgent necessity that can no longer be postponed, calling on the judiciary to deliver justice for the victims and fully uncover the truth, ahead of Lebanon’s commemoration of the sixth anniversary of the disaster, considered one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in modern history.<\/p>\n

The Beirut Port explosion, which occurred on August 4, 2020, killed more than 220 people and injured over 6,000 others after massive quantities of ammonium nitrate stored at the port exploded following a fire whose cause remains unknown. Investigations later revealed that officials at various levels had been aware of the dangers posed by the stored material but failed to take the necessary safety measures to prevent the catastrophe.<\/p>\n

In an official statement, Aoun stressed that issuing the indictment by the judicial investigator has become “a necessity that can no longer tolerate further delay,” emphasizing that justice is not about revenge but about establishing the truth, revealing all the facts, and holding accountable everyone who caused, contributed to, or neglected their responsibilities, regardless of their position or status.<\/p>\n

The Lebanese president added that the judiciary is now called upon\u2014more than ever\u2014to demonstrate its independence and its ability to deliver justice to the victims, describing the indictment not merely as a procedural step in the investigation but as a fundamental right of the victims and their families, who have waited years for justice.<\/p>\n

Judicial Investigation Between Political Complications and Renewed Momentum<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Judicial investigator Judge Tarek Bitar completed his investigation into the case in late March of this year, according to a judicial source cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP), after filing charges against approximately 70 individuals, including politicians, security officials, military officers, and public employees.<\/p>\n

Following the completion of the investigation, the case file was referred to the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation for legal review before being returned to the judicial investigator for the issuance of the indictment. However, the file remains with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the anticipated decision has yet to be issued. There are currently no detainees in Lebanon being held in connection with the case.<\/p>\n

Since 2023, the investigation has faced significant political and judicial obstacles, entering a period of paralysis due to political pressure and disputes. Hezbollah led a campaign demanding Judge Bitar’s removal, and he subsequently faced dozens of lawsuits seeking to prevent him from continuing the investigation.<\/p>\n

However, the investigation resumed in early 2025 following the election of Joseph Aoun as president, the formation of a government headed by Nawaf Salam, and new judicial appointments, alongside changes in Lebanon’s political balance and a decline in Hezbollah’s domestic influence after its war with Israel.<\/p>\n

These developments helped remove several legal obstacles that had hindered the judicial investigator’s work, including the lifting of a travel ban imposed on him, allowing him to complete the investigation.<\/p>\n

Continued Calls for Accountability Without Protection for Any Official<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Over the past several years, families of the Beirut Port explosion victims have continued demanding the full truth, the completion of the investigation free from political interference, and the prosecution of everyone responsible for the disaster, regardless of their position.<\/p>\n

In the same context, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reaffirmed the government’s commitment to justice in a post on the X platform, writing: “There can be no compromise at the expense of justice, even if it is delayed.”<\/p>\n

Salam added that no official enjoys protection, regardless of their position, whether in the Beirut Port explosion case or any other case, stressing that accountability must apply to everyone without exception. His remarks reflected the Lebanese authorities’ stated commitment to completing the investigation and resolving one of the country’s most sensitive cases in modern history.<\/p>\n

United News Network \u2013 UNN Arabic<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Author:<\/strong> Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi<\/p>\n

Publication Date:<\/strong> August 3, 2026<\/p>\n

Last Updated:<\/strong> August 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aoun: Indictment in Beirut Port Blast Case Can No Longer Be Delayed, Justice Is the Victims\u2019 Right Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that issuing the indictment in the Beirut Port explosion case has become an urgent necessity that can no longer be postponed, calling on the judiciary to deliver justice for the victims […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"tmauthors":[74],"class_list":{"0":"post-127198","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127199,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127198\/revisions\/127199"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127198"},{"taxonomy":"tmauthors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tmauthors?post=127198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}