The Lebanese Kataeb Party held a memorial gathering on Tuesday to mark the sixth anniversary of the Beirut port explosion, honoring the victims of the disaster and renewing its demand for truth, justice, and an end to impunity.

The ceremony was held in tribute to those killed in the August 4, 2020 blast, including Kataeb Secretary-General Nizar Najarian and party members Joe Akiki, Joe Andoun, and Antoine Barmaki.

Speaking at the ceremony, Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel said the tragedy was not confined to his party, but was a national catastrophe that affected all Lebanese.

“What we experienced as Kataeb members is what every Lebanese family experienced,” Gemayel said. “The Lebanese people paid the price for institutional decay, criminal negligence, state failure, lawlessness, and chaos. Justice is finally moving forward, and we have full confidence in the process being led by the justice minister and the honorable judges entrusted with this case.”

Gemayel assured that the party would continue working tirelessly to ensure that those who died in defense of Lebanon would not have sacrificed their lives in vain.

“We will work day and night so that those who fell defending Lebanon become the foundation for a new generation that can live in freedom, security, and stability,” he said. “The time has come for Lebanon to once again become a strong and respected state, free from terrorism, thuggery, foreign agents, and destructive ideologies.”

He said the anniversary should serve not only as a moment of mourning but also as a source of determination.

“We promised that this anniversary would be a reminder never to be afraid,” Gemayel said. “Those who gave their lives were no less than any of us, and we are prepared to give everything so that the Lebanese people can live in the country they deserve.”

Addressing the families of the victims and referring to the late Nizar Najarian, Gemayel said: “We will lay a wreath in your honor. You will remain a symbol of this party and of resistance, an example for future generations, and we promise that we will remain faithful to the trust you left in our hands.”

Gemayel laid wreaths at the memorial dedicated to the late secretary-general, while additional laurel wreaths were placed on behalf of the Kataeb Party in memory of Joe Akiki, Joe Andoun, and Antoine Barmaki.

The gathering also featured testimonies from relatives of victims of the Beirut port explosion, whose demands for accountability have remained unresolved nearly six years after the blast devastated large parts of Beirut.

The August 4, 2020 explosion, caused by a massive stockpile of ammonium nitrate that had been stored unsafely at the port for years, killed more than 220 people, injured thousands, and destroyed swaths of the Lebanese capital.