A Syrian delegation is expected in Lebanon next week to discuss the fate of thousands of Syrian detainees held in overcrowded prisons, Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told The National.
He rejected rumours that a trip by Syrian officials set for this week had been postponed. “There was never a specific appointment. We were discussing the date and they had not confirmed any date yet,” Mr Mitri said.
Mr Mitri heads a ministerial committee tasked with addressing issues related to displaced Syrians in Lebanon – including the potential repatriation of more than 2,000 Syrian detainees.
Damascus has informally demanded the handover of thousands of Syrian prisoners, sources previously told The National. Some of those prisoners were convicted on terrorism charges. Hundreds of those detained are Islamists and Lebanon fears attacks by extremist groups.
Syrians make up around 30 per cent of Lebanon’s prison population, according to Interior Minister Ahmed Al Hajjar. At least 190 were arrested for taking part in the uprising against deposed Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, the Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates.
“In our conversations, they referred to prisoners that they said are arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of being in opposition to the [Syrian] regime,” Mr Mitri said. “If this is the case and we have a list of people, we will look into that list.”
A judicial source told The National that Syrians are not arrested in Lebanon unless it is for crimes committed in the country.
Mr Mitri said any talks on repatriation would have to respect Lebanon’s legal framework. “We’re willing to discuss the [detainees], but in Lebanon there’s due process. It depends on whether they’ve been sentenced, are they awaiting trial, the kind of crimes committed. So we’re open to discussing the issue, but we have to abide by due process.”
He dismissed rumours of a general amnesty for Syrian detainees, saying authorities would instead review extraditions on a case-by-case basis.
“We have not received any formal request about anybody,” he said, although he suggested a framework could emerge after the meeting.
“We don't have a treaty between Syria and Lebanon regarding the exchange of prisoners, so we have to work on a treaty, which can happen in a week. It’s not difficult. There are many similar treaties in the works,” Mr Mitri said.
According to the Access Centre for Human Rights, which focuses on human rights violations related to Syrians, Syrian detainees in Lebanon's Roumieh prison face inadequate medical care.
The Syrian Foreign Relations office did not respond to a request for comment from The National regarding the upcoming visit and the issue of detainees in Lebanon.
Lebanon's prisons are notorious for their overcrowding and cramped conditions, with a population hovering around 8,500. Last year, about 80 per cent of detainees were yet to have their case go to trial.
Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar last month told The National that Lebanon was seeking a treaty to allow Syrian prisoners to serve the rest of their sentence in their homeland.
“When the Prime Minister went to Syria I addressed this issue with him,” Mr Nassar said, referring to the April visit to Damascus by Nawaf Salam, himself a former judge who headed the International Court of Justice until the start of the year.
Mr Salam said during the visit that his government wanted to "open a new page" in relations with Syria, which occupied Lebanon until 2005. In December, Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara said his country would not negatively interfere in Lebanon and would respect its neighbour's sovereignty.
The Lebanese government estimates about 1.5 million Syrians are in the country in total, although figures are hard to verify.
