Dozens charged in Lebanon over deadly Beirut clashes amid protests against port blast judge — RT World News
A Lebanese judge has charged dozens of people for this month’s deadly unrest in the capital of Beirut, which saw seven people killed and more wounded in the worst street violence to have gripped the city in years.
Lebanon’s state news agency said on Monday that Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Fadi Akiki had charged 68 people with crimes including murder, incitement to sectarian strife, the possession of unlicensed weapons, and more. The outlet reports that 18 are currently in detention.
Violent clashes erupted on October 14 between Lebanon’s two Shiite factions, Hezbollah and Amal, and gunmen believed to be supporters of the Christian Lebanese Forces Party. The unrest broke out during a Hezbollah-led protest against Tarek Bitar, the lead judge probing last year’s Beirut port blast that killed over 200 and wounded thousands.
Samir Geagea is the leader of Lebanese Forces Party. He has said that he will not be question by the judge, unless Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah chief, is first.
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WATCH: Beirut’s chaos descends to warzone-like chaos as troops fire on armored vehicles.
The turbulence that gripped the city and claimed seven lives took place on the border of Beirut’s Chiyah and Ain el-Rumaneh neighborhoods, the same frontline that divided the capital during the Lebanese civil war.
Lebanon’s military deployed armored vehicles to squash the unrest and declared that its troops would fire at any armed individual on the capital’s streets.
After ex-Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil filed complaints and Ghazi Ziter, former Public Works Minister, were not allowed to present themselves in court, the Lebanese Court dismissed them. This enabled the judge to resume the investigation. They are both close allies or friends of Hezbollah.
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US military intervention in Lebanon is being directed at poor, unlucky Lebanon. Lebanon has long been the playground of Western evildoings.
The probe was briefly suspended before Nasrallah, who allegedly politicized the case and targeted specific officials, called for Bitar’s replacement.
Although the Port Blast investigation has attempted to bring justice to the victims, it is not making any headway towards holding those responsible accountable. Bitar, the second judge in the investigation, is replacing Fadi Sawan who was fired from the role in February. He was accused of acting outside his authority by ex-ministers.
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