38 nations at Human Rights Council urge impartial probe in Beirut port blast

Thirty-eight countries at the U.N. Human Rights Council have condemned the political obstruction of Lebanon’s domestic investigation into the August 4, 2020 explosion at Beirut’s port.

In a joint statement delivered by Australia before the U.N. Human Rights Council, the 38 states called on Lebanon to “to take all necessary measures to safeguard, in law and in practice, the full independence and impartiality of the Lebanese judiciary,” and to ensure that a “swift, independent, impartial, credible, and transparent investigation into the explosion” be carried out.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, for his part called for a "serious investigation" into the disaster.

"Serious investigation into the explosion of August 2020 is urgently needed, without political interference or further delay," he said.