(Beirut) – The United Nations Human Rights Council should establish an international fact-finding mission into the August 4, 2020 blast at Beirut’s port, 18 organizations including Human Rights Watch, and dozens of relatives of the victims of the blast said in a statement released today.
Nearly four years after the blast, nobody has been held to account, and the Lebanese authorities have continuously obstructed the investigation, leading to its suspension in December 2021.
“While other countries have condemned the Lebanese authorities’ continuous interference into the domestic investigation, authorities have blatantly ignored demands for accountability,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Human Rights Council member states should take action at their current session to support the establishment of an international fact-finding mechanism if there ever is to be justice for the disastrous Beirut blast.”
