The brothers of two victims of the port explosion will be questioned by police for setting tires on fire outside the justice palace during a protest denouncing the investigation’s obstruction.
William Noun and Peter Bou Saab, whose brothers were among the 220 people killed in the massive Beirut port blast on August 4, 2020, will appear before the police on Wednesday.
“Obviously, we will be present at the Beirut police station, as I am confident that what we have done is not shameful,” Noun declared following a meeting with Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Archbishop Elias Audi on Tuesday.
Noun said Audi has expressed his “full support” for the cause of the port victims’ families but “prefers to follow the legal channels, away from violence.”
However, Noun pledged that “as long as there is a need to protest, we will protest.”
Noun and Bou Saab set tires on fire in front of the Palace of Justice on June 1st. A gathering is planned outside the Verdun police station, where they are due to appear Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m.
Noun also welcomed the appointment of Judge Habib Rizkallah to adjudicate the case between the Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation, Ghassan Oueidate, and investigative judge Tarek Bitar, who was in charge of the probe into the port blast.
“Our main concern is to ensure the investigation’s continuation,” Noun said.
Oueidate has pressed charges against Bitar after the latter unexpectedly resumed an inquiry into the port blast after a 13-month suspension due to political resistance to his attempts to interrogate top officials.
Noun played down concerns that he and Bou Saab could be placed in custody, recalling his arrest in January, which triggered big protests that led to his release.
“We are not going alone into the interrogation. A crowd of port victim relatives will be accompanying us,” he added.
