It’s been two years since his 3-year-old daughter, Alexandra, was killed in a massive explosion in Beirut port, and Paul Naggear has given up hope that outrage over the disaster will bring justice and force change in Lebanon.
The investigation into one of the world’s largest non-nuclear explosions has been blocked for months by Lebanon’s political powers. Many blame the tragedy on the corruption and mismanagement of the Lebanese government for a long time, but the decades-long blockade of the ruling elite has ensured that they are untouchable.
In fact, some of those accused in the investigation were re-elected to parliament earlier this year.
Although the port’s wrecked silos have been burning for weeks – a fire fueled by grains still fermenting inside them – authorities appear to have given up trying to put out the fire. Part of the silos collapsed in a huge cloud of dust on Sunday.
“It’s been two years and nothing has happened,” Naggear said of the Aug. 4, 2020 disaster, when hundreds of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, a material used in fertilizer, detonated in the port. “It’s like my daughter just got hit by a car.”
The explosion caused a pressure wave that shattered everything in its path across the capital.
Naggear, his wife, Tracy Awad, and baby Alexandra were in their apartment overlooking the harbor when the massive force blew away glass, furniture and other debris. Naggear and his wife suffered cuts and bruises. Alexandra, or Lexou as they called her, was seriously injured and died in hospital.
He was the second youngest victim of the blast, which killed more than 215 people and injured more than 6,000.
The ammonium nitrate was later found to have been shipped to Lebanon in 2013 and improperly stored in a port warehouse since then. Senior political and security officials knew of their presence, but did nothing.
Lebanon’s factional political leaders, who have shared power for decades, closed ranks to thwart any accountability.
Tarek Bitar, the judge leading the investigation, charged four former senior government officials with intentional homicide and negligence that led to the deaths of dozens of people. He also accused several senior security officials in the case.
But his job has been blocked for eight months pending a decision by the Court of Cassation after three former cabinet ministers launched legal challenges. The court cannot rule until a number of vacancies caused by the retirement of judges are filled. The appointments, signed by the Minister of Justice, are still pending approval by the Minister of Finance, an ally of the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri.
Judicial officials with knowledge of Bitar’s investigation told The Associated Press that it was in the advanced stages of answering key questions, including who owned the nitrates, how they got into the port and how the explosion happened. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.
Bitar is the second judge to handle the case. The first judge was forced out after two cabinet ministers filed complaints against him, and if the same happens to Bitar it would likely be the final blow to the investigation.
The lack of justice aggravates the pain of the relatives and friends of the victims of the explosion. They feel let down and abandoned, not only by the government but by public apathy as the months and years have dragged on.
Initially after the blast, there were large protests and walkouts demanding justice. It raised hopes that Lebanon’s politicians could be held accountable.
But public fervor waned as the Lebanese absorbed themselves to survive the country’s economic collapse. Also, deadly gunfire broke out last year between Hezbollah supporters protesting Bitar and members of a Christian faction, raising fears that pressing the investigation could push Lebanon into factional conflict.
Now only a handful of people show up to protests and sit-ins organized by victims’ relatives.
The families are still exhausted by the pain.
For Muhieddine Ladkani, whose father, Mohammed, was killed, time has stood still.
When they first heard explosions coming from the harbor, their father took the family into the hall of their apartment, believing it would be safe since there were no windows. But the blast tore the front door off its hinges and sent a cupboard crashing into the large Ladkani. He was in a coma for weeks with a brain hemorrhage. He died 31 days later.
Ladkani, a 29-year-old law student, said his family still can’t talk about that day.
“We still don’t remember each other and we can’t reunite as a family,” she said. “My brothers and uncles have my father’s photos as their profile picture. I do not. Whenever I remember my father, I cringe.”
“It’s something I don’t want to believe. I can’t live with it,” Ladkani said. Those who voted for the politicians accused in the disaster are also responsible for his father’s death, he added.
“The ink on the fingers of the voters who voted for them is not ink but the blood of the victims,” Ladkani said.
One of the indicted and re-elected politicians, former Public Works Minister Ghazi Zeiter, told the AP that he had the right to run for parliament again because there is no court verdict against him. He said Bitar has no right to charge him because lawmakers and ministers have a special court where they are usually tried.
Amid the stalemate, some victims’ families are turning to courts outside Lebanon.
In mid-July, the families filed a $250 million lawsuit against an American-Norwegian company, TGS, suspected of being involved in bringing the explosive material to the port. TGS has denied any wrongdoing.
Naggear said his family, two others and the Bar Association have filed a lawsuit in the United Kingdom against the London-registered chemical trading company Savaro Ltd., which Lebanon’s investigative journalists they say he chartered the shipment with the intention of taking the nitrates from Georgia to an explosive. company in Mozambique.
Naggear said he is losing hope.
He and his wife, who holds dual Lebanese-Canadian citizenship, had considered leaving Lebanon after the blast. But the huge public protests immediately afterwards gave them hope that change was possible.
But after the results of this year’s parliamentary elections, they are again seriously considering leaving.
Still, they promise to continue working for justice. In a recent sit-down, they showed up with their 4-month-old baby, Axel.
“They are trying to make us forget … but we will not stop, for (Alexandra’s) sake until we get to the truth and justice,” Naggear said.
The Naggears have repaired their apartment, but haven’t stayed there since Axel was born, fearing it wasn’t safe yet.
The fire burning in the ruins of the grain silos only adds to the sense of danger. A northern section of the structure collapsed on Sunday and experts say more parts are at risk of falling. At night, orange flames can be seen licking at the base of the northern silo, glowing eerily in the dark.