Lebanon's Bitar wages uphill struggle for justice over port blast

Army soldiers are deployed after gunfire erupted near the site of a protest that was getting underway against Judge Tarek Bitar, who is investigating last year's port explosion, in Beirut, Lebanon October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - For Lebanese desperate to see accountability over the catastrophic Beirut port explosion, investigator Judge Tarek Bitar symbolizes hope that justice may one day be served in a country where impunity has long been the norm.

For some of Lebanon's top officials, he is a thorn in the side whose unrelenting efforts to prosecute them over the explosion threaten a system designed to shield the ruling elite from scrutiny.