A new episode in the tragedy of the massive August 4, 2020 explosion at the port of Beirut took place on Thursday, as the families of the Civil Defense victims denounced the tribute made by the Beirut fire department command to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Berri had received, on Wednesday, a delegation of officers from the Beirut fire department led by Colonel Maher Ajouz, who presented him with an honorary shield as a tribute on behalf of all the firefighters.
This has triggered anger and an uproar among families of the firefighters killed in the port explosion. They gathered at the Beirut fire station on Thursday to condemn the gesture in a meeting with members of the delegation. A row broke out at the meeting in Colonel Ajouz’s office, after which the families called on the mohafez (governor) of Beirut, Marwan Abboud, to dismiss Ajouz.
The victims’ relatives demanded that Colonel Ajouz “apologize” for this step taken on behalf of all firefighters, especially as Berri “presides over a parliamentary bloc whose members include two outlaws, Ghazi Zaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil,” a press release reads.
Judge Tarek Bitar, who was in charge of the investigation into the explosion, had implicated former ministers Ghazi Zaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil, holding them administratively responsible for the tragedy. Summoned by Judge Bitar, they refused to appear in court.
Furthermore, “Berri is at the source of the disruption of the investigation,” the victims’ relatives added, in reference to more than 34 appeals that have been lodged against Judge Bitar.
“It is inconceivable to pay tribute to those who undermine justice. The only tribute should be paid to those who sacrificed themselves for Beirut,” they concluded.
