Hezbollah Denounces Beirut Port Blast Verdict: We Did Not Find Logical Or Legal Grounds in Investigation Procedures

Translated by Staff, Media Relations

Hezbollah issued the following statement commenting on the judge’s verdict regarding the Beirut Port blast and the prosecution against caretaker prime minister and the three former ministers:

1- We reaffirm our full and righteous support for the impartial and transparent judicial investigation into the horrific crime – the port explosion. In addition to the disclosure of all parties or individuals responsible for it, whoever they are, and their prosecution and the imposition of the harshest sentences and punishments against them, in order to achieve justice to the martyrs and moral compensation for their families and for all the wounded; an issues that would give the Lebanese hope in the midst of the difficult circumstances our country and people are going through.

2- We assert our keenness on the right of the Lebanese people to know the whole truth behind the crime – starting with the arrival of the ship carrying the explosive materials to the port, the parties that own it and knowledge of the shipment’s final destination; the reasons behind the shipment remaining all those years in the port wards; the causes of the explosion, and whoever stands behind it; in addition to any other cause of negligence, corruption or mismanagement on the part of those who have any direct or indirect role in this serious crime, based on their hierarchical position of those responsible.

3- We uphold the need for the investigation not to be lost in the maze of administrative procedures, routine impediments and legal problems – for fear that the evidence disappears, the criminals are at large and the truth is lost; henceforth, unreliable suspicions, unsupported accusations and incorrect allegations float to the surface, so the investigation falls between the corridor of politics, the provocation of public protests and the clamor of the media at the expense of truth, justice, law and the blood of martyrs.

4- We stress our keenness to ensure that all procedures are far from politics and in conformity with the provisions of the constitution and are not subject to interpretations. Hence, prosecution must be based on logical and legal grounds, which we did not find that in the recent procedures. Therefore, we categorically reject the absence of uniform standards which led to what we believe to be an unfair politicized targeting of people, accusing individuals and exempting others from bearing responsibility of the crime based on unjust measures.

Unfortunately, this will lead to delaying the investigation and trial instead of reaching a final and just judicial ruling. Therefore we call on the competent investigating judge to re-approach the dossier and take legal measures to ensure that the truth is reached founded on unified non-politicized standards, in a way that reassures the Lebanese people of the course of this case, because the port crime is a serious national issue.