Explosion at the port of Beirut: a key activist in the investigation withdraws, possibly intimidated

Published on : 10/16/2021 – 10:33 PM

In a viral video that circulated on the evening of Friday, October 15 on social networks, Ibrahim Hoteit calls on judge Tarek Bitar – at the heart of a smear campaign orchestrated by Hezbollah – to recuse himself. The powerful Shiite movement and its allies accuse the magistrate of “politicizing” the investigation. Tarek Bitar has indicted senior officials, including two members of the Shiite Amal party, an ally of Hezbollah.

In the video, Ibrahim Hoteit appears reading a statement and peeking out of view of the camera. The video was released in the aftermath of bloody armed incidents that left seven dead in the Lebanese capital, including six members of Hezbollah and Amal, during a demonstration demanding the departure of Tarek Bitar.

Asked by AFP, Ibrahim Hoteit denied any “pressure” or “intimidation”, claiming to have recorded the video “in a personal capacity”. “The only pressure I have been subjected to are the incidents on Thursday and the fear of a slide into civil war. I have therefore decided to give up my role as spokesperson,” he said.

A 180 degree turnaround

But the broadcast of the video on Saturday aroused astonishment and doubts among other relatives of victims of the explosion of August 4, 2020 – more than 210 dead -, raising suspicions of intimidation. In a statement, the families of the victims of the explosion referred to an “astonishing (…) video which does not represent us at all”, reiterating their support for Judge Bitar and deploring the political interference in the investigation.

“Ibrahim was undoubtedly under pressure,” William Noun, brother of one of the firefighters killed in the tragedy, told AFP. On social networks, several Internet users deplored “threats” which would have been exerted by the tandem Hezbollah-Amal on Ibrahim Hoteit.

Lina Khatib, an analyst for the Chatham House think tank, says Ibrahim Hoteit’s video is “alarming because it is a sudden 180-degree turnaround from (his) previous statements in favor of the investigation”. “In the video, he appears to be (acting) under duress,” she says, stressing that he doesn’t have the same way of speaking as usual. “Everything suggests that he released the video statement because he felt he was being pressured.”

On Twitter, Lina Khatib was even more firm by declaring that Ibrahim Hoteit “was at his house when men came in and forced him” to post the video. According to her, “Hoteit’s life is in danger”.

The investigation led by Judge Bitar has been at the heart of sharp tensions and divisions in Lebanon for several weeks. This polarization degenerated into deadly violence Thursday referring to the dark years of the civil war (1975-1990).

With AFP