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Annex 4: Letters to Officials, Companies, and Political Parties th 350 Fifth Avenue, 34 Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 Tel: +1-212-290-4700 Fax: +1-212-736-1300; 917-591-3452 Annex 4: Letters to Officials, Companies, and Kenneth Roth, Executive Director Deputy Executive Directors Tirana Hassan, DED/Chief Programs Officer Political Parties Wisla Heneghan, DED/ Chief Operating Officer Michele Alexander, Chief Development Officer Alan Feldstein, General Counsel (Acting) Mei Fong, Chief Communications Officer Colin Mincy, Chief People Officer Letter to General Michel Aoun, President James Powell, Chief Technology Officer James Ross, Legal and Policy Director Bruno Stagno Ugarte, Chief Advocacy Officer Division and Program Directors July 7, 2021 Brad Adams, Asia Nicole Austin-Hillery, United States Eric Goldstein, Middle East & North Africa (Acting) Mausi Segun, Africa José Miguel Vivanco, Americas General Michel Aoun Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia President of Lebanon Heather Barr, Women’s Rights (Acting) Shantha Rau Barriga, Disability Rights Baabda, Lebanon Richard Dicker, International Justice Lama Fakih, Crisis and Conflict Bill Frelick, Refugees’ Rights Arvind Ganesan, Business and Human Rights Steve Goose, Arms Dear Mister President, Your Excellency General Michel Aoun, Amanda Klasing, Women’s Rights (Acting) Zama Neff, Children’s Rights Graeme Reid, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Daniel Wilkinson, Environment and Human Rights (Acting) I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW) to request Advocacy Directors Yasmine Ahmed, United Kingdom information about the role of the presidency in the events that led to the Maria Laura Canineu, Brazil Louis Charbonneau, United Nations, New York Farida Deif, Canada Beirut Blast. Kanae Doi, Japan John Fisher, United Nations, Geneva Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Bénédicte Jeannerod, France Sarah Holewinski, Washington DC Human Rights Watch is an impartial, nongovernmental organization that Lotte Leicht, European Union Wenzel Michalski, Germany reports on human rights conditions in over 90 countries, including Måns Molander, Sweden and Denmark Elaine Pearson, Australia Lebanon. We give relevant entities the opportunity to provide information Board of Directors Amy Rao, Co-Chair and respond to questions originating from our research and we reflect Neil Rimer, Co-Chair Betsy Karel, Vice Chair timely responses in the reports that we publish. Oki Matsumoto, Vice Chair Amy Towers, Vice Chair; Treasurer Catherine Zennström, Vice Chair Bruce Rabb, Secretary Akwasi Aidoo We are currently conducting research on the circumstances that led to the Lishan Aklog George Coelho Kimberly Marteau Emerson explosion in Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020. Loubna Freih Leslie Gilbert-Lurie Paul Gray Caitlin Heising We respectfully request your excellency’s replies to our questions by July Karen Herskovitz Judith Heumann Susan Kane 20, 2021, in order that we can reflect them in our planned public reporting David Lakhdhir Louisa Lee-Reizes on this issue: Alicia Miñana Ambassador Robin Sanders Bruce Simpson Joseph Skrzynski AO Donna Slaight, C.M. 1) When did you learn about the ammonium nitrate being stored in Siri Stolt-Nielsen Marie Warburg hangar 12 in Beirut’s port? How did you learn about it? Who shared this Isabelle de Wismes Masa Yanagisawa information with you? Andrew Zolli “THEY KILLED US FROM THE INSIDE” 532 2) When did you learn about the dangers the ammonium nitrate being stored in hangar 12 posed? How did you learn about them? Who shared this information with you? 3) What steps did you take after finding out about the ammonium nitrate? Do you feel like you did everything in your power in this situation? We kindly request a copy of any official records that reflect actions you took related to this matter. 4) Why did you not convene a Higher Defense Council meeting to discuss the ammonium nitrate? 5) Why did you not include the ammonium nitrate on the agenda of the Higher Defense Council during the July 28 meeting? 6) Upon acceding to the Presidency in 2016 you vowed to “eradicate corruption.” a. Please describe any and all measures you have taken as president to combat corruption at Beirut’s port and within the Ministries of Finance and Public Works and Transport. We kindly request a copy of any official records that reflect what steps your excellency has taken. b. According to media statements, the Free Patriotic Movement backed Badri Daher’s appointment as Director General of Lebanese Customs. Although Daher promised to eradicate the practice of bribing customs officials when he took office, he has since been prosecuted multiple times for corruption and was prosecuted in November 2019 for “wastage of public funds.” In 2020, he was also prosecuted for unlawfully lifting a travel ban on Abdel Al Muhsen Bin Walid Bin Abdel Muhsen Bi Abdel Aziz Al Saud, something he claimed you personally asked him to do, and which the presidency has denied. Despite his record of criminal behavior and role in the August 4, 2020 explosion, in October 2020, for the second time, your excellency refused to sign off on Daher’s dismissal from his post without a full cabinet vote. Kindly explain your rationale for this decision. As mentioned above, we would be grateful for your response, as well as any additional information that you deem to be relevant, by July 20, 2021. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Any questions and your response can be directed to my colleague Aya Majzoub, Lebanon Researcher, by email at or by phone on . Sincerely, Lama Fakih 533 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | AUGUST 2021 Conflict and Crisis Director Beirut Office Director Human Rights Watch “THEY KILLED US FROM THE INSIDE” 534 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299 Tel: +1-212-290-4700 Letter to Hassan Diab, Caretaker Prime Minister Fax: +1-212-736-1300; 917-591-3452 Kenneth Roth, Executive Director Deputy Executive Directors July 7, 2021 Tirana Hassan, DED/Chief Programs Officer Wisla Heneghan, DED/ Chief Operating Officer Michele Alexander, Chief Development Officer Alan Feldstein, General Counsel (Acting) H.E. Hassan Diab Mei Fong, Chief Communications Officer Colin Mincy, Chief People Officer Prime Minister James Powell, Chief Technology Officer James Ross, Legal and Policy Director Grand Serail Bruno Stagno Ugarte, Chief Advocacy Officer Division and Program Directors Beirut, Lebanon Brad Adams, Asia Nicole Austin-Hillery, United States Eric Goldstein, Middle East & North Africa (Acting) Mausi Segun, Africa José Miguel Vivanco, Americas Dear Prime Minister Diab, Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia Heather Barr, Women’s Rights (Acting) Shantha Rau Barriga, Disability Rights Thank you for meeting with us on June 8, 2021 to provide us with Richard Dicker, International Justice Lama Fakih, Crisis and Conflict Bill Frelick, Refugees’ Rights information about the sequence of events that led to the explosion in Arvind Ganesan, Business and Human Rights Steve Goose, Arms Beirut’s port on August 4, 2020. Following on our interview, we are Amanda Klasing, Women’s Rights (Acting) Zama Neff, Children’s Rights Graeme Reid, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights writing to share our questions in writing and to invite you to provide any Daniel Wilkinson, Environment and Human Rights (Acting) further information you may have related to the events that led to the Advocacy Directors Yasmine Ahmed, United Kingdom Beirut port explosion. It is Human Rights Watch’s practice to give Maria Laura Canineu, Brazil Louis Charbonneau, United Nations, New York Farida Deif, Canada relevant entities the opportunity to provide information and respond to Kanae Doi, Japan John Fisher, United Nations, Geneva written questions originating from our research and we reflect timely Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Bénédicte Jeannerod, France Sarah Holewinski, Washington DC answers in the reports that we publish. Lotte Leicht, European Union Wenzel Michalski, Germany Måns Molander, Sweden and Denmark Elaine Pearson, Australia We respectfully request your replies to our questions by July 20, 2021, in Board of Directors Amy Rao, Co-Chair order that we can reflect them in our planned public reporting on this Neil Rimer, Co-Chair Betsy Karel, Vice Chair issue: Oki Matsumoto, Vice Chair Amy Towers, Vice Chair; Treasurer Catherine Zennström, Vice Chair Bruce Rabb, Secretary Akwasi Aidoo 1) When did you learn about the ammonium nitrate being stored in Lishan Aklog George Coelho hangar 12 in Beirut’s port? How did you learn about it? Who shared this Kimberly Marteau Emerson Loubna Freih information with you? Leslie Gilbert-Lurie Paul Gray Caitlin Heising 2) What measures, if any, did you take to secure, remove, or destroy Karen Herskovitz Judith Heumann the ammonium nitrate and to mitigate the dangers that it posed? We Susan Kane David Lakhdhir kindly request a copy of any official records that reflect actions you took Louisa Lee-Reizes Alicia Miñana related to this matter. Ambassador Robin Sanders Bruce Simpson 3) During our meeting on June 8, 2021, you noted that on June 3, 2020, Joseph Skrzynski AO Donna Slaight, C.M. Siri Stolt-Nielsen at a social gathering, Tony Saliba, Director General of State Security, told Marie Warburg Isabelle de Wismes your advisor that the investigation into the ammonium nitrate in hangar Masa Yanagisawa Andrew Zolli 12 was still ongoing and that the report State Security was preparing was 535 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | AUGUST 2021 not final yet and that he would advise you when the investigation was complete. In our meeting you also stated that on the same day you told Colonel Mohammad Abdallah to inform Director General Saliba’s men to finalize the report within 2-3 days and send you a copy. Based on the chronology of events currently known to HRW, State Security Major Joseph Naddaf completed the investigation Public Prosecutor Oueidat ordered on June 4, 2020, and acting on behalf of State Security, Director General Saliba began executing the Public Prosecutor’s orders on the same day. a. Did you know that State Security completed their investigation on June 4, 2020? Do you know why it took State Security another six weeks to inform you of the findings of their investigation? We would welcome any additional information you have regarding this matter.
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