Horsh Beirut has been reconstructed after the end of the Lebanese Civil War and it has been closed for the general public for about 25 years.[7] Lebanese citizens had to apply for a permission and only have chances to get one if they are older than 35 years.[8] At the same time there have been reports of Western foreigners getting permission while applications by Lebanese were rejected.[9][10] Beirut residents have repeatedly protested against the denial of access to the park including the unequal access policies for Western and non-Western park visitors.[11][12] However, it ended up being reopened to the public by the governor of Beirut Ziad Chebib on September 3, 2015, in what was considered a victory for civil society after constantly demanding its reopening to all Lebanese citizens.