HRW: Key officials 'criminally negligent' over Beirut blast
August 3, 2021
Top Lebanese officials had been warned about the dangers of chemicals stored in the port yet failed to act to prevent the tragedy, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.
The explosion in Beirut's port rocked the city on August 4 last yearImage: Hassan Ammar/AP/picture alliance
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Lebanese officials knew about the risks of hazardous chemicals in Beirut's port but did nothing to prevent the blast, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released on Tuesday.
The report comes as Lebanon marks one year since the explosion killed more than 200 people and devastated the capital.
HRW said that several "Lebanese authorities were, at a minimum, criminally negligent under Lebanese law in their handling" of the ammonium nitrate shipment that was brought to the port in 2013.
"Evidence strongly suggests that some government officials foresaw the death that the ammonium nitrate's presence in the port could result in and tacitly accepted the risk of the deaths occurring," the report said.
In pictures: Beirut blast aftermath — destruction, chaos and protests
A powerful explosion rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, killing at least 150 people and injuring thousands more. Residents have taken to the streets to demand government reforms and resignations over the blast.
Image: Getty Images/D. Carde
Panic in Beirut
Two immense blasts shook Beirut and the surrounding areas of the Lebanese capital, prompting panic as residents rushed to safety. "I have never in my life seen a disaster this big," Beirut's governor told local TV.
Image: Reuters/M. Azakir
Blasts felt in city's outskirts
The explosions, centered in Beirut's port region, were felt throughout the capital. Even residents in the city's outskirts reported hearing the blast, with some saying their windows were shattered.
Image: Reuters/K. Sokhn
Dozens killed, thousands injured
Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 others were injured.
Image: Reuters/M. Azakir
'Unacceptable' ammonium nitrate stock
Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that a large stockpile of 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate in a warehouse at the port had caused the second, larger explosion. "It is unacceptable that a shipment of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate has been present for six years in a warehouse, without taking preventive measures," Diab said.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/STR
Race to save survivors
More than 30 Red Cross teams raced to the scene, with many locals lending a hand to aid rescue efforts. Hospitals warned that they were quickly filled beyond capacity — and called for blood donations as well as generators to help keep the electricity on.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/H. Shbaro
Felt as far away as Cyprus
The blasts struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany's
geosciences center GFZ. Residents in Cyprus, some 110 miles (180 km) across the sea from Beirut, reported hearing and feeling the blast.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/STR
People are 'asking for their loved ones'
DW's Bassel Aridi said people were using social media to try to track down their loved ones after the explosions. Aridi also visited a hospital in Beirut after the blasts. "What I saw in the hospital was so dramatic. All the hospitals have announced that they are totally overloaded."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Ammar
Two-week state of emergency
Lebanese authorities fear many more people are buried beneath rubble. President Michel Aoun scheduled an emergency Cabinet meeting for Wednesday and said a two-week state of emergency should be declared.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/STR
Lebanon faces double-blow
The devastating blasts come as Lebanon experiences severe economic turbulence, with many people taking to the streets in recent months to protest the financial situation. Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared that Wednesday would be a national day of mourning for the victims of the explosion.
Image: Getty Images/D. Carde
Protesters demand reforms and resignations
Thousands of protesters took to the streets four days after the explosion, blaming the blast on government corruption and mismanagement boiling. Protesters demanded government resignations and fresh elections, with many occupying government ministries. Police responded with tear gas.
Image: Reuters/G. Tomasevic
First resignation
Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad became the first government minister to resign in the wake of the blast, five days after it took place. "After the enormous Beirut catastrophe, I announce my resignation from government," she said in a statement carried by local media. She apologized to the people of Beirut for failing them.
Image: Getty Images/AFP
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Who is implicated in HRW's investigation?
The report, titled "They Killed Us from the Inside: An investigation into the August 4 Beirut Blast," identified several senior individuals in the government, customs, the army and security agencies and accused them of negligence.
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HRW based its report on documents and multiple interviews with top officials, including the president, the caretaker prime minister and the head of the country's state security.
According to the report, then-Prime Minister Hassan Diab first started receiving reports of the ammonium nitrate shipment in June 2020. "I then forgot about it, and nobody followed up. There are disasters every day," HRW quoted Diab as saying.
The Lebanese army also "took no apparent steps to secure the material," despite knowing that the shipment's nitrogen grade was classified as material used to manufacture explosives, the report said.
According to a document seen and cited by Reuters news agency, the Lebanese president was also warned about the security risks.
What about the local investigation?
A Lebanese probe into the blast has stalled, with politicians and senior security officials yet to be questioned. Requests to lift their immunity have been hindered.
Rights group Amnesty International on Monday accused Lebanon's authorities of working against the domestic investigation.
"Lebanese authorities have spent the past year shamelessly obstructing victims' quest for truth and justice," Amnesty said in a statement.
