One man vs Lebanon

In this issue, I focus on a legal showdown in Lebanon. There, one man is taking on the country's top politicians so that the victims' families can finally see some real accountability for the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people. I also show you the latest UNESCO additions, specifically the ones from Yemen because, eh, why the f*ck not ;)

Plus, you'll read more good news from Sierra Leone (that country is on fire right now!) and some good news about Syria (I know!), Costa Rica and Japan. I also shared a free-for-everybody secret to happiness and a short documentary on the lives of Jewish people in Iraq. Ah, so much more. Keep reading and have a great week!

Who is responsible for the 2020 port explosion in Beirut, Lebanon? We still don't know.

Refresher:
On August 4, 2020, hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded in the port of Beirut, Lebanon's capital. At least 218 people died, thousands got hurt, and many more people lost their homes. Nobody higher-up has been held responsible for what happened -- so far. Many people in Lebanon are desperate to see some accountability.

Last week, to everyone's surprise, Judge Tarek Bitar was like, 'we need to continue this investigation' and issued charges against current and former senior officials.

Why this matters:
The explosion in August 2020 is one of the largest non-nuclear blasts on record. Many believe that 'Lebanon's top officials knew this would/could happen and they didn't do anything about it'. They also believe that impunity is the norm in Lebanon. You can do a lot of f*cked up things and not go to jail for it. Tarek Bitar and this investigation symbolize that justice may one day be served in Lebanon.

Tell me more:
Tarek Bitar was chosen to lead the investigation into the 2020 explosion in 2021. Before him, another person named Judge Fadi Sawan was in charge but was removed because of complaints from some 'important people'. Bitar then accused some of the country's top politicians of being involved, including those connected to Hezbollah, the country's ex-prime minister and the chief prosecutor. But they wouldn't talk to him and said he didn't have the power to do what he was doing. A year later, the people who were checking on Bitar's work retired and no one has replaced them, so the investigation stopped in 2021... until last week. The chief prosecutor, Ghassan Oweidat has fired back, 'you cannot just restart the inquiry on your own. I will notify security forces to not abide by your orders.'

What do the victims' families think of Bitar?
"This is really bold and courageous. He tried this before and it didn't work. There is no support among the political figures. You feel like he's on a solo mission," Tania Daou-Alam, who lost her husband in the blast. She believes that he is a "modern-day hero". William Noun, who lost his brother in the blast, said of Bitar's move: "This is very much a judicial uprising". (Reuters)

What now?
Well. If the case is not brought to trial by the judicial council, Bitar could still release all of his evidence to the public and help prosecutors in other countries like France and Germany. These countries have ongoing cases because people holding citizenship from their countries died in the explosion. Zina Wakim, the president of Accountability Now and a lawyer for the victims, said that these other cases will depend on Bitar's investigation. She also said that people are still trying to get the United Nations to look into the explosion. She believes that the way the judicial system is set up in Lebanon makes it hard to hold people accountable for their actions and that victims of the explosion have no choice but to take their case to other countries. (Al Jazeera)

• Quote: "We are in shock," Mireille Khoury, mother of Elias Khoury, who was killed by the explosion at the age of 15 told the organizations. "In what state are we living? All this proves that the international investigation is our only hope and that the HRC [Human Rights Council] is our main route. When will the leaders of the world open their eyes to this horrendous injustice against us." (Amnesty International)

New UNESCO listings from Yemen, Ukraine and Lebanon are in danger

UNESCO announced that it added new names to its list of 'important places' and 'important places in danger'. The lists now include The Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib in Yemen, The Rachid Karameh International Fair in Tripoli, Lebanon, and the Historic Center of the Port City of Odesa in Ukraine.

Why this matters:
Some of the world's most impressive wonders are disappearing with every passing day. UNESCO is an agency of the United Nations that is responsible for identifying and protecting cultural and natural heritage sites around the world that are considered to be of outstanding universal value. But, when a heritage site is listed as "endangered," it means that UNESCO has determined that the site is facing significant threats that could lead to its destruction or significant degradation.

Tell me more about the one in Yemen. I've never heard about it.
The Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba in Marib are a pretty huge deal. The Kingdom of Saba is the Yemeni civilization's backbone and one of the most prominent ancient Arab kingdoms. The Landmarks today consist of seven sites and...