Lebanon: 5 Years Without Justice for Port Explosion Victims, Comprehensive and Unobstructed Investigation Needed

Lebanese authorities have yet to deliver truth and justice for the victims and their families five years after the devastating Beirut port explosion on 4 August 2020, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. It is imperative to conduct a comprehensive and unobstructed investigation that establishes the full chain of responsibility. The blast, which killed at least 236 people, injured over 7,000, and devastated vast swathes of the capital, was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.

Despite repeated domestic and international calls for accountability over the past five years, Lebanese authorities have failed to complete an effective, independent, and impartial investigation into the explosion. The resumption of the domestic investigation in 2025 after a two-year suspension has yet to yield conclusive results. The investigation has been marred by persistent obstruction and interference by political leaders and state officials determined to evade justice. For the victims’ families, this prolonged denial of accountability is an unbearable burden.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” said Reina Wehbi, Amnesty International’s Lebanon Campaigner. “The families of those killed and injured in the Beirut explosion have waited an intolerable five years. They must not be forced to endure another year of impunity. The time for justice, accountability, and truth is now.”

Rather than facilitating the investigation, several politicians and senior officials summoned by lead investigative judge, Tarek Bitar, including generals, judges, members of parliament, and former ministers, have consistently sought to derail it. They have refused to attend questioning sessions, invoking various forms of immunity, and opened a barrage of legal challenges against Judge Bitar that have repeatedly suspended the inquiry.

In January 2023, when Judge Bitar attempted to revive the stalled investigation after a two-year suspension, Lebanon’s then–public prosecutor, Ghassan Oueidat—who had been charged by Bitar—responded by filing a lawsuit against him, effectively suspending the investigation once again. Oueidat also ordered the release of the suspects who had been held in pre-trial detention since the explosion and instructed security forces and the Public Prosecution Office to cease all cooperation with the judge.

In February 2025, following yet another two-year hiatus, Judge Bitar resumed the investigation by summoning additional employees and officials implicated in the explosion. The move came amid renewed political pledges by newly elected President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to uphold the rule of law and ensure justice for the port explosion victims.

The move was enabled in March, when the interim top prosecutor, Jamal Hajjar, overturned the measures imposed by his predecessor that had effectively frozen the investigation. Some of those summoned, such as former Prime Minister Hassan Diab, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, and Major General Tony Saliba, complied and appeared for questioning for the first time in years. However, other officials, including two members of parliament, Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zaiter, and Oueidat, the former prosecutor, have continued to obstruct the investigation by refusing to submit to questioning.

The Lebanese authorities should ensure a comprehensive and unobstructed investigation, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said. It is imperative for this inquiry to thoroughly establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the explosion, encompassing the full chain of responsibility—whether domestic or international—and determining whether any criminal acts or human rights violations occurred due to the state’s failure to protect lives.

The authorities also need to take all necessary measures to guarantee that the investigation can be completed without undue interference or obstruction from political leaders, state officials, or suspects in the case. This includes guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary and adopting essential amendments to Lebanon’s civil and criminal procedures codes to address provisions that have been exploited to obstruct criminal and civil investigations.

Despite the resumption of the investigation, the road to justice remains littered with political and legal challenges, Amnesty International and Human Right Watch said. The Lebanese authorities should swiftly remove the barriers that have repeatedly blocked the investigation and ensure that it proceeds without political interference

A 2021 investigation by Human Rights Watch concluded that the explosion was a direct result of the Lebanese authorities’ failure to uphold their human rights obligations, particularly the right to life, and pointed to the possible involvement of senior officials.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other rights groups have consistently documented a range of procedural and systemic flaws within the domestic investigation. These flaws include pervasive political interference, granting immunity to high-level politicians, and failure to respect due process and fair trial standards. Other countries have also repeatedly condemned the authorities’ blatant political interference in the domestic investigation, notably in a joint statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2023.

“Justice for the Beirut port explosion is not only about accountability for a single event,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon Researcher for Human Rights Watch. “It is a test of Lebanon’s promised commitment to the rule of law and human rights.”