AFP – A key figure among the families of Beirut’s 2020 port blast victims was released on Saturday, a day after his arrest, sparking protests in the Lebanese capital.
A judiciary source told AFP that William Noun – whose brother, a fireman, was killed in the devastating port blaze of August 4, 2020 – was arrested on Friday for comments he made during a television programme.
The nouns are among those urging a continued investigation into the blast – which has been delayed for more than a year due to political pressure – into the blaze that killed more than 215 people, injured thousands and leveled vast areas of the capital. destroyed.
Noun told reporters after his release on Saturday afternoon, “We just want the complete truth and justice be served.”
Known for his outspokenness, Noun threatened to “blow up the palace of justice” during televised remarks on Thursday to protest moves to replace the judge probing the blast.
His arrest sparked demonstrations on Friday night, while activists gathered on Saturday outside the Beirut police station where he is being held.
William Noun, whose brother was killed in the Beirut port explosion in August 2020, is greeted by relatives and supporters upon his release from prison in the capital, Beirut, January 14, 2023. (Anwar Amro/AFP)
Embarrassed judge Tarek Bitar has faced a series of complaints against him, part of a campaign led by the Hezbollah terror group and its allies, seeking to block his investigation into the blast.
The 2020 disaster, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, occurred after a fire broke out in a stockpile of randomly stored ammonium nitrate.
On Tuesday, relatives of the victims, including Noun, threw stones at the Palace of Justice in Beirut, where they gathered again on Thursday to protest a possible replacement for Bitter.
Noun’s lawyer, Ralph Tanes, told reporters on Saturday that his client had agreed never to throw rocks at the building or insult judges.
Sangya’s mother had spent the night at the headquarters of one of Lebanon’s security agencies, accompanied by lawyers including Melhem Khalaf, who is also a member of parliament.
“What did William do? Ask that whoever killed his brother face justice?” his mother Zeena said at a rally outside the police station on Saturday.
FILE: A woman holds a picture of her granddaughter who was killed in the 2020 Beirut port explosion, during a demonstration outside the Justice Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, February 7, 2022 (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)
Parliamentarians, lawyers and Christian clerics joined the protest to condemn the arbitrary arrests.
“It’s an attempt to intimidation, but it won’t work,” lawyer Tanas told local television before Noun’s release. “This is a political move, not a judicial one.”
Bitter has attempted to interrogate a former prime minister and four former ministers over the tragedy, but his investigation was repeatedly obstructed before being suspended.
Aya Majoub, from the rights group Amnesty International, said that Noun’s arrest “clearly shows that Lebanon’s judiciary is more interested in protecting the public interest than those in power and those responsible for the Beirut explosion.”
Relatives of the victims as well as human rights groups have called for an international investigation, which has been rejected by the Lebanese authorities.
France is also investigating the blast, which killed some of its citizens. A French judge is due to arrive in Lebanon on 23 January to collect information.
Relatives of the victims intend to “scale up” their protest, said Paul Naggier, whose three-year-old daughter died in the blast.
“Our cause is not advancing,” he said.
Rita Hitti, who lost her son and two other relatives in the blast, said Lebanon’s judiciary “is facing a decisive test.”
“Either it speaks up and ignores all political pressure, or this is the end of it,” she said.
