Families of Islamist prisoners at Roumieh prison carry pictures of their beloved ones during a protest outside the government palace in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday after a group of prisoners at the prison announced an open-ended hunger strike. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA
Lebanon will hand over some 300 Syrian prisoners out of more than 2,500 being held in Lebanese prisons and detention facilities, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said Friday after the cabinet approved a draft judicial agreement with Syria.
Mitri, who led five months of negotiations with Syrian authorities, said the prisoners will be transferred to Syria once the judicial agreement is signed by both countries.
He said the transfer would be limited to prisoners who have served more than 10 years in Lebanese prisons and would be carried out in accordance with the agreement and applicable legal conditions.
His remarks came shortly after the cabinet endorsed an agreement with Damascus’ new authorities to transfer convicted Syrian prisoners from Lebanon to Syria.
The agreement, to be signed by the justice ministers of both countries, is set to be implemented within three months, allowing Syrian prisoners to serve the remainder of their sentences in their home country.
It will remain in effect for similar cases, with both parties having the right to request amendments under special circumstances.
Crimes involving murder or rape are excluded, except for prisoners who have served 10 years in the state prison to which they were sentenced.
While Syria demanded the release of all its nationals held in Lebanese prisons, whether convicted or not, Lebanon faces difficulties with those sentenced for murder.
Most Syrian prisoners held in Lebanon would eventually be transferred, as they fall into the category of having served more than 10 years, including those convicted of killing Lebanese civilians and soldiers.
The agreement, however, preserves individuals’ right to claim personal compensation, which is often financial.
It also covers enforceable death sentences, allowing the transfer of those sentenced to death on the condition that the sentence is not carried out by either country.
Information Minister Paul Morkos clarified after the cabinet meeting that the Syrian prisoners will not be released but would serve their remainder sentence in Syria.
Morkos said efforts are also underway concerning Syrian detainees who have not yet been tried, a move that would help ease overcrowding in Lebanese prisons.
Earlier Friday, families of Lebanese prisoners — mostly Islamist detainees, most of whom have been held for years without trial — staged a protest in downtown Beirut ahead of the cabinet session, demanding faster trials and equal justice and condemning what they called “selective justice” in the signing of the judicial agreement with Syria.
Lebanese inmates at Roumieh, the country’s main prison, went on strike this month to protest what they called “selective justice,” as Syrian prisoners are to be transferred while they remain in prolonged detention.
The prisoner agreement could help strengthen ties between Lebanon and Syria, which have been working to move past decades of mistrust and tense relations since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad in December 2024.
The two countries have consolidated political, diplomatic and security coordination, and have successfully curbed drug and arms trafficking, but several urgent issues remain that could stabilize their relations.
Beyond the highly sensitive issue of Syrian prisoners in Lebanon, they also include the Syrian refugee crisis — only one-half million of 1.5 million refugees have returned home — and the demarcation of their shared border.
