Khaberni - The artist Fadl Shaker surrendered himself to the Lebanese army intelligence branch at the Hasba checkpoint, one of the entrances leading to the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp, where he had been hiding for several years.
In a previous statement, Shaker reiterated his insistence on his innocence from the charges attributed to him, confirming that his case "was used as a pretext to politically and artistically liquidate him over the course of more than 13 years."
Fugitive from Justice
In-absentia sentences were issued against Fadl Shaker, considering him a fugitive from justice, and the penalties he received ranged from 5 to 15 years of hard labor.
Trial from Scratch
After Fadl Shaker surrendered himself, the in-absentia verdicts were dropped, and his trial will be restarted from the beginning.
A judicial source explained that after Shaker surrendered himself, all in-absentia verdicts were immediately dropped, and his trial returned to square one, with the right to present witnesses and documents he believes prove his innocence, and then the court will have its say.
Retirement from Singing and the Battle of Abra
Fadl Shaker announced his retirement from singing and his joining the group of Sheikh Ahmad al-Asir (currently imprisoned) in Lebanon in 2012, and he also declared his support for the Syrian revolution against Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Following the battle of Abra, which occurred between the Lebanese army and al-Asir's group on June 23, 2013, Shaker took refuge in the Ain al-Hilweh camp located within the city of Sidon, fleeing arrest and prosecution.
Since then, lawsuits have been filed against him, accusing him of “participating with al-Asir in forming an armed gang and fighting Lebanese army soldiers.”
In 2015, Shaker hinted at the possibility of reaching a settlement in the cases filed against him, and announced his readiness to stand before the Lebanese judiciary, though this statement stirred controversy about the nature of the potential settlement, facing a media campaign by Hezbollah and the resistance bloc, amid questions whether such a settlement would lead to his exoneration from the charges or not. This was followed by the issuance of severe in-absentia sentences against him.
What are Fadl Shaker's charges?
Shaker is accused of several charges, notably:
• Participating in criminal acts committed by terrorists.
• Funding the armed group of Sheikh Ahmad al-Asir, providing for its members, and securing the cost of weapons and war ammunition.
• Forming armed gangs, carrying out terrorist acts, and seizing people's money.
• Money laundering, fraud, and robbing citizens.
The Sentences Issued Against Him
After surrendering himself, the in-absentia sentences issued against him, which were as follows, fell:
• 2017: An in-absentia sentence from the military court to imprison him for 15 years with hard labor, stripping him of civic rights, and fining him about 800 thousand Lebanese pounds.
• December 2020: The Permanent Military Court, chaired by Brigadier Munir Shehadeh, issued an in-absentia sentence sentencing him to 22 years with hard labor, stripping him of civic rights, on charges of engaging in terrorist acts and financing the Ahmad al-Asir group, with an additional penalty of 7 years for financing the military group.
• 2018: A verdict was issued acquitting him of the charge of killing members of the Lebanese army and other charges related to the events of Abra, due to lack of evidence, by the military court.
• There is also an in-absentia sentence against him for imprisonment and a fine on charges of assaulting a brotherly state, based on previous television statements.
