Beirut Port Blast Activist Resigns Amid Pressure for Judge’s Removal
The spokesman for the relatives of those killed in the Beirut port explosion last year resigned on Saturday after fears that he had been intimidated into urging that the lead investigator in the case be fired.
The Shiite Hezbollah movement and its allies accused Judge Tarek Bitar of political bias in their investigation into the August 4, 2020 explosion that killed more than 210 people.
Tensions reached a fever pitch on Thursday when seven people were killed in violence following a demonstration organized by Hezbollah and its ally Amal demanding the removal of Bitar.
The shooting in central Beirut kept many residents trapped inside for hours, reliving memories of the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.
In a 180-degree turn from his previous support for the investigator, Ibrahim Hoteit, a spokesman for the victims’ families, asked in a video that circulated Friday night for the judge to resign.
Many social media users were concerned that Hoteit, whose brother was killed in the port explosion, had been threatened.
In the video, he is seen looking off camera while speaking, in what some charge could be a sign that he is speaking under duress.
But Hoteit told AFP that he had spoken only for himself and denied recording the video under any pressure.
“The only pressure on me was the events of Thursday and the fear of sliding into civil war,” he said.
Therefore, I decided to resign as spokesperson “for the families.
The families of the victims of the Beirut port explosion have issued a statement reiterating their support for the chief judge investigating the explosion, Tarek Bitar. A circulated video follows that shows his spokesman Ibrahim Hoteit calling for Bitar’s resignation.
– L’Orient Today (@lorienttoday) October 16, 2021
‘180 degree turn’
Relatives of other victims, who still support Bitar, said in a statement: “This position … does not represent us at all.”
William Noun, whose firefighter brother was killed in the blast, told AFP that he stood firm in his support and that Hoteit “was undoubtedly pressured.”
Lina Khatib, a senior analyst with the Chatham House think tank, said the video was “alarming because it is a sudden 180 degree turn from previous statements … in support of the port investigation.”
Ibrahim Hoteit, spokesman for the committee for the families of the victims of the Lebanon’s port explosion, was at home when the men entered and forced him to issue a video statement calling for the judge leading the investigation into the explosion. Hoteit’s life is in danger.
– Lina Khatib (@LinaKhatibUK) October 16, 2021
“In the video, he appears to be under duress,” he said, and the wording of the statement did not resemble his usual language.
“All of this suggests that Hoteit issued the statement on video because it felt pressured to do so.”
Top politicians named in the blast investigation have launched various legal challenges against Bitar.
But the latest court rulings have allowed him to resume the investigation, which has been suspended several times.
Bitar’s predecessor, Fadi Sawan, was removed by a court in February.
(AFP)
