Universal Syriac Union Party: A nation that fails to prosecute those who kill its people is burying its future alongside them

BEIRUT — Five years have passed, yet the wound left by the Beirut port explosion continues to bleed. The pain lingers for the city and its people, fueled by the absence of justice and persistent efforts by political actors to obstruct the investigation and shield those responsible.

Marking this somber anniversary, the Universal Syriac Union (USUP) issued a statement titled: “The Port Blast: An Ongoing Crime of Our Time… The Absence of Justice Is Complicity.” The statement declared that “August 4 will remain an open wound in the heart of Lebanon and the conscience of humanity, as long as justice is denied, the truth concealed, the perpetrators free, and trials stalled by blatant political interference.”

The Party called for the immediate issuance of the official indictment—without further delay or excuses—demanding that all perpetrators, instigators, accomplices, and those covering up the crime be named and held to account before both the judiciary and the public. It stressed that anyone obstructing the investigation or protecting suspects is complicit in what it described as “the crime of the century.”

The USUP emphasized that the catastrophe of August 4, 2020, was not an accident or a twist of fate. It was a deliberate, premeditated crime against the Lebanese people—born out of deep-rooted corruption, collusion, negligence, and disregard for human life in a country where state institutions have become captive to backroom deals and factional interests.

“The families of the victims,” the statement added, “don’t need empty speeches or public condolences—they need fair, transparent verdicts from an independent judiciary, free from political interference and beyond the grip of those who rule from the shadows.”

The party underscored that true healing for the families of the victims, the injured, and the survivors begins with full disclosure of the truth and the prosecution of everyone involved—regardless of rank or political affiliation, whether minister or director, ally or opponent.

The statement concluded with a powerful message: “Justice for the port explosion is not a sectarian or political demand—it is a national and human right that does not expire with time. Lebanon cannot rise again unless the full truth is revealed, and the criminals are held accountable. A nation that fails to prosecute those who kill its people is burying its future alongside them.”