Khaberni - Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri revealed today, Saturday, that Lebanon and Syria will sign an agreement next week to hand over about 300 Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, of those convicted who have spent 10 years or more behind bars.
The Lebanese Cabinet approved in its session on Friday the "agreement between Lebanon and Syria regarding the transfer of convicted persons from the country of the judgment to the country of the detainee's nationality," according to a government statement.
Mitri confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the “agreement will be signed in Beirut next week” to take effect immediately, and it is likely that the Syrian side will be represented by the Minister of Justice Mazhar al-Wais or Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani.
Mitri stated that the agreement represents "a major step towards solving the ongoing issues between the two countries, and a real opportunity to build new relations with Syria based on trust and mutual respect, and in a manner that serves the higher interests of both states."
The issue of Syrian detainees is one of the outstanding files between Beirut and Damascus, which are working to rearrange their relations after the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad.
Implementation Mechanism
Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister explained that "the Syrian convicts will not be released, but will be handed over to their country to serve the remaining part of their sentences there."
A judicial official told Agence France-Presse earlier that about 2,250 Syrians are detained in Lebanese prisons, which is nearly a third of the total number of prisoners.
A judicial official, who requested anonymity, said, "Each convict who meets the requirements and wishes to be handed over to his country must submit a written application through his legal representative, and it must be approved."
The source added that "it depends on the speed of transaction processing, but the agreement specifies that the Syrian prisoners benefiting from it should be delivered within a maximum period of 3 months."
The delivery of the convicts to their countries is subject to administrative procedures, and a judicial source stated that "the transfer of convicts to their countries can occur in large batches or individually, depending on the completion of transactions and in coordination with the Syrian side, and the agreement on whether their delivery will occur in prisons or at the Lebanese-Syrian border."
Among the Syrian prisoners in Lebanon are hundreds arrested on charges of "terrorism" and belonging to extremist organizations and armed factions, and they were referred to the military court, others are accused of launching attacks against the Lebanese army in border areas.
