A senior Lebanese judicial source said today, Thursday, that two French judges visiting Beirut this week as part of an investigation into the 2020 port explosion were denied access to documents from the Lebanese investigation, while the families of those arrested in the case carried out a sit-in in front of the Palace of Justice in Beirut, to demand the release of their children.
A French diplomatic source said that two French judges came to Beirut as part of an investigation opened by the French Public Prosecutor's Office because of the presence of French citizens among the victims, including two of the dead.
The source added that the investigating judge, Tariq Al-Bitar, informed the two visiting judges that he would not be able to exchange information until he was allowed to resume his investigation, indicating that he would be able to exchange information that is not subject to the rules of confidentiality once the investigation is resumed.
political interventions
Almost a year ago, the Lebanese investigation into the explosion was frozen, and political interference paralyzed Judge Al-Bitar's work due to legal appeals submitted by influential politicians in the country.
Despite the devastation caused by the blast, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, no senior officials have been held accountable by judicial investigations.
Lebanese efforts to investigate the blast have faced strong political opposition from ruling factions that have long exercised significant influence over the country's judiciary.
The families of the arrested sit-in
Meanwhile, the families of those arrested in the port explosion case carried out a sit-in in front of the Palace of Justice in Beirut, to demand the release of their children.
The people carried banners calling for justice for their children and the families of the victims of the explosion, and a number of deputies participated in their sit-in.
The protesters called on the judiciary to "be fair with everyone and to release their families and children immediately," declaring that "they have also become victims of the file and political and judicial disputes."
A violent explosion shook the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, killing 230 people and destroying large areas of Beirut, injuring more than 6 thousand people, and leaving 300 thousand people homeless, and the explosion occurred due to the storage of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate in the port. .