Obstruction of Justice Turns Deadly
Today, the families of the August 4 victims faced a renewed attempt by Hezbollah and the Amal Movement to obstruct the investigation into the Beirut Port explosion. Their adversaries tried to co-opt the demand for justice and waged their own battle against the two parties.
Supporters of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement protest at the Palace of Justice in Adlieh to demand the dismissal and replacement of Judge Tarek Bitar from the Beirut Port blast investigation. Earlier in the day, the Court of Cassation rejected a third request for Bitar’s removal that MPs Ghazi Zeaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil filed. Adlieh, Lebanon. October 14, 2021. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
Hundreds of protesters sporadically marched the streets chanting, "With our souls, with our blood, we will sacrifice ourselves for you Nabih!” Others sang, "He’s a judge and he’s playing with fire; he's directed by the embassies; go on leave, Bitar! Go on, leave, Bitar!” Adlieh, Lebanon. October 14, 2021. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
Units of the Lebanese Armed Forces were deployed to the Tayouneh Roundabout late last night. They cordoned off the area today when unidentified snipers, widely believed to be affiliated with the Lebanese Forces, started shooting at Hezbollah and Amal supporters as they marched toward Adlieh. The army attempted to comb the area and capture gunmen stationed on rooftops of residential buildings. Nine people were arrested by the end of the day. Tayouneh, Lebanon. October 14, 2021. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
In a statement published online, the army announced that it will open fire “at anyone who is armed on the street and at anyone who fires from anywhere else,” and asked civilians to vacate the streets. Tayouneh Roundabout, Beirut. October 14, 2021. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
The Lebanese Red Cross reports six people were killed and dozens injured in the hours-long street battles. One of the victims, Mariam Farhat, a mother of five children, was killed by a stray bullet to her head inside her home. Another victim, 32-year-old Ali Ibrahim, who worked at a local gym and fitness diner, was killed while delivering food to a customer nearby. He was described as “an innocent soul” whose “smile never hides.” Tayouneh, Lebanon. October 14, 2021. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
The intersection of Ain el-Remmaneh and Chiyah occupies a harrowing space in collective memory. On April 13, 1975, a group of armed militamen affiliated with the Kataeb Party opened fire on a bus carrying Palestinian civilians passing through the neighborhood, ostensibly in retaliation to an attack committed by Palestinian commandos against the Kataeb earlier that day. Rightly or wrongly, the "Bus Massacre" is widely believed to have sparked the Lebanese Civil War. Today's deadly events can be understood as an attempt to revive these memories to instill fear and impose a defeatist resignation to the status quo or else. Tayouneh, Lebanon. October 14, 2021. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)
A man, carrying an RPG-7, ran into the middle of the street to fire a rocket but was shot and immediately killed before he launched it. Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the closure of all public and private administrations and institutions on Friday, October 15, to "mourn the souls of the martyrs." President Michel Aoun described today’s events as “painful” and “unacceptable.” Aoun called for an investigation into today's violence, adding it to a pile of old, open, and unresolved investigations. The families of the victims of August 4 issued a statement condemning the bloodshed, saying "only justice can liberate us from the past and build a future." Tayouneh, Lebanon. October 14, 2021. (Marwan Tahtah/The Public Source)