Hundreds Of Family Members Of Beirut Port Explosion Victims Protest In Lebanon

Umer Jamshaid Published January 26, 2023 | 10:53 PM

Hundreds of relatives of the victims of a deadly explosion in Beirut's port have been joined by activists and opposition representatives to protest against the authorities' decision to release all those detained in the case, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday

BEIRUT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2023) Hundreds of relatives of the victims of a deadly explosion in Beirut's port have been joined by activists and opposition representatives to protest against the authorities' decision to release all those detained in the case, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Lebanese Prosecutor General Ghassan Oweidat ordered the release of all those detained in the case of the 2020 explosion in the port of Beirut, on condition that their movement will be restricted, due to disagreements with Tarek Bitar, the judge responsible for the probe into the incident, media reported.

The Beirut port victims' families gathered while the Supreme Judicial Council, Lebanon's supreme judicial authority, convened to resolve a court dispute between Oweidat and Bitar. Special security measures have been put in place near the palace building, including the deployment of the Lebanese armed forces and internal security services.

The protesters raised the Lebanese flag, changing the color from red to black, in protest against the Prosecutor General's decision. The demonstrators shouted slogans against Oweidat and held photographs of those killed in the explosion, the correspondent said.

Later in the day, a number of protesters attempted to storm the palace after a member of the opposition had an altercation with companions of Lebanese Justice Minister Henry Khoury near the building, the correspondent said.

A powerful explosion occurred in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020. At least 300 people died, and more than 6,000 were injured. Hundreds of houses and cars were destroyed or damaged. The Lebanese capital was declared a disaster area following the blast.

The explosion, considered by many as one of the largest non-nuclear blasts on record, resulted from the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate seized by the Lebanese customs in 2014 and stored in a warehouse since then.