This month marked two-and-a-half years since the devastating explosion at the Beirut Port.

One of those killed was my son, two-year-old Isaac Oehlers. He was the youngest victim killed that day.

Isaac was sitting at home, eating dinner, like he did at the same time every evening, when the blast hit.

He was struck in the chest by a piece of glass. It pierced his heart and lungs.

The blast, on August 4, 2020, was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in global history and killed at least 220 people. It wounded over 7,000, and destroyed half of Lebanon's capital.

Isaac should be turning five soon. He should be in kindergarten and getting into mischief with his brothers. Instead, like hundreds of other devastated families, we have spent our time fighting tirelessly for justice for Isaac and all the other victims. We are still fighting.

In the days after the blast the Lebanese government promised that an investigation would be complete within five days.

It was a lofty goal but one that victims, including my family, clung to as we tried to come to terms with how such an unprecedented and catastrophic explosion could have destroyed our lives and taken our loved ones within seconds.

Instead, in two-and-a-half years, there has been next to no progress.

Who is to blame?

Human Rights Watch found evidence to suggest a number of high-level Lebanese officials foresaw the significant threat to life posed by ammonium nitrate stored haphazardly at the port, and tacitly accepted its deadly risk, a violation of the right to life under international law.

Some of these same officials have been charged with crimes that amount to human rights violations, including homicide with probable intent, by Tarek Bitar, a judge tasked with investigating the blast.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Legal Action Worldwide, Legal Agenda, and the International Commission of Jurists have documented a range of procedural and systemic flaws that undermine the domestic investigation.

These include flagrant political interference, immunity for high-level political officials, lack of respect for the fair trial standards, and due process violations.

Lebanese authorities have repeatedly obstructed the domestic investigation into the explosion.

And last month, in an unprecedented move, Lebanon's general prosecutor whom Judge Bitar has charged for his alleged role in the catastrophic explosion, ordered the release of all 17 suspects detained in connection with the blast.

The general prosecutor went so far as to charge Judge Bitar with several crimes for pursuing his investigation, including "usurping power".

The prosecutor also imposed a travel ban on the judge and summoned him for questioning.

The battle for justice

Survivors and families of the victims, many of whom I have come to know, meet regularly in Beirut to protest the lack of justice.

Some, despite never meeting Isaac, always carry his photo to remind authorities that his life was lost far too soon.

It is an act of kindness and solidarity that means the world to my family – knowing that Isaac is always remembered and there are people fighting on his behalf, even if we don't live in Beirut anymore. 

However, in an egregious attempt to thwart justice, those who are on the front lines pressing for accountability have been intimidated, assaulted and hauled in for questioning by police in an attempt to silence them.

Lebanese authorities have shown where their priorities and loyalties lie, and it is not with the victims. It very much looks like the domestic investigation will not be allowed to progress and cannot deliver justice, making the establishment of an international fact-finding mission - independent of the Lebanese authorities - all the more urgent.

Australia can stand up

In March 2021, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, then in opposition, issued a statement calling on the Morrison government to work with Lebanon and the international community to deliver an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the Beirut port explosion.

They stated: "It is time the Australian government stepped up to rally the international community to ensure that the Lebanese people get the answers they deserve."

In 2022 I spoke with Wong about our fight for answers and justice. In our call Wong reiterated Australia's commitment to justice and accountability for the Beirut blast victims.

I urge Minister Wong to put this commitment into action. Australia can and should assume a leadership role in making this much needed independent, international investigation happen.

Australia has strong ties with Lebanon and a large Australian-Lebanese community, many of whom had family and friends affected by the blast, and who support an international investigation.

Since becoming foreign minister, Wong has also been trying to set a new tone for Australia on the global stage.

She met with opposition leader Ken Sokha while in Cambodia, created the new position of Human Rights Ambassador within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and announced new sanctions targeting human rights abusers in Iran, Russia and Myanmar.

But so far, since the change of government, Australia has remained relatively quiet on the centre stage of global human rights diplomacy, the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, failing to lead on any country statements regarding human rights abuses.

Wong can uphold Australia's commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law by leading on a joint statement at the upcoming session condemning the outrageous political interference with Lebanon's domestic investigation and calling for an international fact-finding mission to establish the facts and circumstances, including the root causes of the explosion.

It's hard not to lose hope

In the wake of recent developments, the domestic investigation looks like a lost cause. Survivors and family members of the victims are losing hope.

The complete collapse of the Lebanese economy means that those who lost everything in the blast are just fighting to survive, yet they still fight day in and day out for justice.

The international community needs to step up and demand justice for the victims. To take this burden off the shoulders of the victims.

Australia should stand with the more than 162 Lebanese and international rights groups, dozens of Lebanese members of parliament, survivors, and families of the victims who have been asking members of the Human Rights Council to support a resolution establishing an international investigation.

The Beirut blast was not an unfortunate accident, but an avoidable catastrophe and a clear violation of the rights of the victims and their families. Isaac and all of the victims deserve justice.

Sarah Copland is a United Nations staff member, former Beirut resident, and Isaac Oehlers' mother.