Khaberni - Over the past two days, the name of the Lebanese singer Fadel Shaker has dominated social media, especially after announcing his surrender to the Lebanese army near Ain El-Helweh camp in Sidon, in the south of the country.
While there was much speculation about his case, his lawyer Amal Mubarak refrained from commenting during a call with Al-Arabiya.
However, a judicial source confirmed that Shaker, whose real name is Fadel Shamandar, surrendered himself yesterday, Sunday, "as a prelude to concluding his legal case." He explained that all the judgments issued in absentia against him would be retried following their automatic annulment upon his surrender, as reported by AFP.
In front of the military court
Informed sources indicated that the owner of "Ya Ghayeb" will appear tomorrow, Tuesday, before the military judiciary, according to local media reports.
Furthermore, sources familiar with the case told "Al-Sharq Al-Awsat" that Shaker’s legal team intends to request the military court to "retrial him from scratch," considering that "after his surrender, all the in absentia judgments issued against him become null and void."
The army announced yesterday that Shaker had surrendered himself, following a series of communications between the army and "relevant parties," to a patrol from the Intelligence Directorate at the entrance of Ain El-Helweh camp, against the backdrop of the Abra incidents in 2013. An investigation has been initiated under the supervision of the competent judiciary.
It is noteworthy that Shaker, born in Sidon in 1969 to a Lebanese father and a Palestinian mother, is one of the most prominent singers in the Arab world, known for his romantic works and the warmth of his voice, until he retired from singing in 2012 after growing closer to the extremist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir.
In June 2013, clashes erupted between supporters of al-Assir and the army in the town of Abra near Sidon, following an attack on a military checkpoint. The battles resulted in the deaths of 18 soldiers and 11 militants and ended with the army's control over a complex used by al-Assir and his supporters, including Shaker, as their headquarters. The singer then vanished into Ain El-Helweh camp, the largest refugee camp in Lebanon.
The military judiciary later issued two in absentia sentences against Shaker in 2020; the first sentenced him to 15 years in prison with hard labor and stripped him of his civil rights after being found guilty of "involvement in criminal terrorist activities knowing through providing logistical support to them", and the second sentenced him to seven years in prison with hard labor and a financial fine for financing the Asir group, spending on its members, and securing the price of weapons and ammunition.
Note that Shaker had previously, through his lawyers, pleaded his innocence, asserting that he did not participate in shooting at the army during the battles known at that time as the "Abra incidents".
"How are you on my parting"
In recent years, Shaker's appearances were limited to media appearances and a few musical works.
However, he recently released new songs that have enjoyed widespread popularity, including "How are you on my parting," which he performed with his son Mohamed, and has garnered 113 million views on Shaker's official YouTube channel since its release in July.
