Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on February 8, 2023. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.

There’s been no accountability in the massive Beirut port explosion for five years. But a new hope suddenly emerged for families of the victims, when Judge Tarek Bitar reopened his dormant investigation into the blast, and into the leaders accused of letting it happen. Two days later, Lebanon’s Prosecutor General Ghassan Oweidat – one of those accused – issued his own charges against Bitar. Is this now the nail in the coffin for the blast investigation, or can the victims’ families still get justice?

In this episode:

• Kareem Chehayeb (@chehayebk), Reporter, Associated Press
• Mariana Fodoulian, Sister of Beirut Port Blast Victim

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Sarí el-Khalili. The original production team was Ashish Malhotra, Amy Walters, Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Negin Owliaei, and our host, Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer, and Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. 

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