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The joint call comes on the occasion of three months after the devastating bombing in Beirut on August 4.
The Lebanese firefighters who died were never informed of the presence of the deadly substance ammonium nitrate.
‘Firefighters have been led to their deaths and let down in an unforgivable way’ – Matt Rak
The Fire Brigade Union has joined Amnesty International UK in calling on the UK government to push for a full international investigation into the devastating explosion that struck Beirut three months ago.
In a new one-minute video, 36-year-old British firefighter Holly Ferguson, who has worked in the fire service for 11 years, says the Beirut explosion is like a “horrible nightmare.”
Ferguson says the Lebanese firefighting team was “deeply disappointed” by officials who knew that dangerous chemicals were stored at the port, but did not disclose this information.
The massive explosion that occurred on August 4 claimed the lives of ten firefighters affiliated with the Beirut Fire Brigade: Naguib Hatti, Charbel Hatti, Ralph Mallahi, Charbel Karam, Jo Noun, Rami Kaki, Joe Bou Saab, Elie Khouzami, Example Hawa and Sahar. Faris, firefighter and medic.
Lebanon has a long and miserable history of allowing the authorities to allow the perpetrators of serious crimes, including serious human rights violations, with impunity, and this is exactly what appears to be happening again.
The police have called in the ten emergency workers to confront a dangerous fire that broke out in the port of Beirut at 5:55 pm. They were not informed of the huge quantities of ammonium nitrate stored in the port, despite the fact that several senior Lebanese officials were aware of its existence. At 6:08 pm, the hangar where the chemicals were stored exploded, killing all nine firefighters and the paramedic, with 190 people dead in the city.
More than 6,500 people were injured in the blast, while 300,000 people were left homeless or driven from their homes. The explosion also caused some 70,000 workers to lose their jobs.
Three months after the explosion, Amnesty International and the Firefighters Union believe that it is becoming increasingly clear that the current Lebanese authorities do not intend to conduct an effective, transparent and impartial investigation, effectively depriving victims of their rights, justice and compensation, including the families of the firefighters who died. They do their work in the port of Beirut.
The UK must make it clear to the Lebanese authorities that it is time to turn a page to the past and hold those responsible for the 4 August destruction accountable.
The victims of the blast and their families, including the firefighters who died in the blast, did not tire of calling for the establishment of an international investigation mechanism, expressing their lack of confidence in local procedures. The Lebanese authorities, including the President of the Republic, have so far rejected these calls.
The UK Fire Brigade and Amnesty International urge UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to back demands for a credible international investigation. According to Amnesty International and the Firefighters Union, the investigation should be empowered to determine all aspects of responsibility for the blast and make its findings public.
Matt Rak, general secretary of the Fire Brigade Union, said:
“The scenes of devastation in Beirut will remain etched in memory for a long time, and UK firefighters will continue to sympathize with the injured, the families of the victims and the missing. Tragically, the brave men and women who rose to face the Beirut port fire did so without being informed that there were almost 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate at the site; they were to death and inexcusably disappointed.
Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty UK, said:
Lebanon has a long and miserable history of allowing the authorities to allow perpetrators of serious crimes, including serious human rights violations, with impunity, and this is exactly what appears to be happening again.
The UK should make it clear to the Lebanese authorities that the time has come to turn the page to the past and hold those responsible for the devastation of August 4 accountable. “
A year of protests and political unrest
In October 2019, an unprecedented series of protests broke out in Lebanon over corruption and low living standards. For weeks, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in cities, towns and villages across the country. The army and security forces responded to the largely peaceful protests with beatings, tear gas, rubber bullets, and sometimes live ammunition and metal pellets. The security forces also failed to protect the protesters from attacks by supporters of armed political parties. Hundreds of protesters were seriously injured, while dozens were illegally arrested and detained. Many reported that, while in detention, they were brutally beaten, sometimes amounting to torture. Activists and journalists were tried, including before military courts.
it’s over
