The Association of the Families of Victims of the Beirut Port Explosion organized a march this afternoon, which set out from Mar Mikhael towards the “Statue of the Expatriate” at the entrance to the Port of Beirut, under the slogan, “Crimes continue – May 4, the march of victims in the face of criminals,” in which the families of the martyrs and victims of the port explosion and the fire brigade participated, with the national anthem playing in the background as they marched, carrying banners calling for investigation and the punishment of criminals.
In a word on behalf of the families of the fallen martyrs, Marianne Vodolian said: “Four and a half months have passed, i.e. about 132 days, while the investigating judge is still kept away from pursuing his investigations into the largest crime against humanity that Beirut has witnessed,” citing the failure to decide on the judicial formations as a factor that has further contributed to obstructing the investigations’ process, following the repeated attempts to bring arbitrary lawsuits against the judge.
“The Lebanese government must take a quick decision to approve the judicial formations immediately and put them to a vote on the cabinet table, otherwise our response, the families of the victims, will be very harsh,” Vodolian said in her statement on behalf of the families.
Referring to the upcoming parliamentary elections on May 15, she questioned how “a defendant can brazenly have the right to run for elections, covered by those who have defended and protected criminals?”
She pledged that the victims’ families will not cease their demand for justice for their fallen victims, adding, “We are still more determined than ever to reach the truth and uphold the rights of our victims and we will not be intimidated by their threats.”
Addressing the Lebanese citizens, Vodolian said: “What is required of the Lebanese people today is to take the crime of the era into consideration, to know that pain and calamity are common to all, and to know well who to vote for…!”
Finally, she reiterated the families’ call not to tamper with what remains of the silos at Beirut’s port, “for they must stay a witness to the crime for future generations to see and know well that whoever blew us up is the one who is obstructing the investigation.”
Source: National News Agency