Lebanese Minister of Justice Henry El-Khoury told Asharq Al-Awsat that the return of Syrian prisoners in Lebanon to their country is “a sensitive issue and should not be dealt with by a hasty decision.”
There are 1,800 Syrians who have committed criminal offenses in Lebanese prisons, 82 percent of whom have not completed their trials, while the government of President Najib Mikati has drawn up a plan to deport them. Al-Khoury has been tasked with researching “the possibility of handing over detainees and convicts to the Syrian state immediately, taking into account the relevant laws and agreements, and coordinating this matter.” Especially with the Syrian state.
Al-Khoury stressed that “every file of the Syrian prisoners needs a careful legal study (…) If it is proven that there are prisoners who have judicial files in Syria, the procedures may be easier, so that their trials will be completed there, but if they do not have files, we cannot expel them and release them.” Release them at random, then they may go out of the door (to Syria), and return through the window illegally, and then their danger becomes double.
The Minister of Justice revealed that “a ministerial and technical delegation will visit Syria to discuss the return of the displaced, but the issue of those convicted and arrested remains under in-depth study.”
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2023-05-01 05:08:34
#Beirut #rush #deport #Syrian #prisoners
