Lebanon is set to hand over over 700 Syrian detainees to Syria out of the more than 2,000 currently held in its overcrowded prisons, a Lebanese judicial official told AFP on Thursday.
“There are more than 700 Syrian detainees and convicts whose files have been finalized and who meet the conditions for extradition,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated.
This move is part of a bilateral agreement reached in January during a visit by former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to Damascus, where he met with Syria’s new president, Ahmad al-Chareh. The two sides agreed on the return of Syrian prisoners to their homeland, marking a significant step toward rebuilding relations between the two neighboring countries following the challenges faced by Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
According to a security source, Lebanon currently holds over 2,100 Syrian detainees in its prisons, including 350 who have already been sentenced, with the rest awaiting trial. Syrian prisoners now account for nearly 30% of Lebanon’s total prison population, the source added.
Many of these detainees face terrorism charges, including involvement in attacks against the Lebanese Army, and have been brought before a military court. Others are accused of belonging to Syrian jihadist or armed groups that opposed the Assad regime.
A Syrian detainee, who asked to remain anonymous, told AFP that he and many of his fellow inmates were imprisoned for “political reasons.” He identified himself as a former member of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), an opposition faction made up of defected Syrian soldiers and anti-Assad fighters.
The security source also noted that both Lebanese and foreign prisoners are enduring increasingly dire conditions due to reduced food rations and deteriorating medical services, a consequence of Lebanon’s prolonged economic crisis. Overcrowding in the cells has only made the situation worse.
In February, around 100 Syrian prisoners at Roumieh, Lebanon’s largest prison, staged a hunger strike demanding the resolution of their cases after the Assad regime’s challenges.
Lebanon, grappling with an unprecedented financial crisis since 2019, currently hosts approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official figures. Of these, 755,426 are registered with the United Nations, having fled Syria when the 2011 uprising against Assad’s regime escalated into a devastating civil war.
AFP
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