The Beirut Bar Association has urged all officials to refrain from interfering with the judiciary and respect the law and work of institutions.
Nader Kaspar, head of the association, said: “The lawyers stand in solidarity with the judges and the Judicial Council.”
Sayyed Nasrallah: The current judicial track of the Beirut Port blast won’t lead to the truth#دفء_قلوبنا_وبيوتنا pic.twitter.com/QOs9Wmv8K8
— Ahed News English (@ala_alahed) November 26, 2021
His statement came as the confrontation between Hezbollah and the Lebanese judiciary took a dangerous turn. The party has accused Judge Tarek Bitar, who is leading the probe into the Beirut port explosion, of “politicizing the investigation.”
The Beirut Bar Association has urged all officials to refrain from interfering with the judiciary and respect the law and work of institutions.
Nader Kaspar, head of the association, said: “The lawyers stand in solidarity with the judges and the Judicial Council.”
His statement came as the confrontation between Hezbollah and the Lebanese judiciary took a dangerous turn. The party has accused Judge Tarek Bitar, who is leading the probe into the Beirut port explosion, of “politicizing the investigation.”
The Coalition for an Independent Lebanese Judiciary warned that the judicial body was facing imminent danger.
It said: “These resignations serve as a warning of what the financial and economic collapse may cause within one of the most important public facilities, and of the ongoing systematic campaigns against every judge who dares to question immunities, which was evident in the Beirut port blast probe.”
It added that the resignations “reflect the feelings of helplessness and resentment of many judges regarding the financial and moral factors that prevent them from performing their judicial function properly, and put them in an embarrassing situation before public opinion.”
On Friday, in addition to demanding that Bitar be removed, Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah went after the entire judicial body because it had pushed back against attempts by defendants to remove Bitar.
“Hezbollah resorted to the judiciary to confront Bitar's discretion, but the rulings show that the entire judiciary is politicized,” Nasrallah said. “This was evident over the past couple of days when the judiciary rejected all requests to dismiss Bitar.”
He once again claimed that the US, represented by its embassy in Lebanon, was supporting Bitar.
More than a year after the deadly Beirut port blast, the UN has failed to respond to three letters sent by the largest legal association of survivors and victims' families.https://t.co/EgQqO1UZho
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 22, 2021
“The investigation is trying to accuse Hezbollah of being involved in the blast. The current judicial process is on a discretionary path that does not lead to any justice or truth.”
Speaking about the Tayouneh incident, which occurred when Hezbollah supporters took to the streets and clashed with residents of Ain Al-Rummaneh, Nasrallah said Hezbollah did not want personal revenge, but that many people involved had not been handed over to the judiciary and they were still in Maarab, a reference to Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea.
“The extent of recklessness, in this case, is an invitation to the families of the victims to take matters into their own hands,” Nasrallah said.
The party has been disrupting Cabinet sessions and preventing the resignation of Information Minister George Kordahi to fix Lebanon's relationship with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
