Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing a meeting n
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired a ministerial, security and judicial meeting to discuss the Syrian prisoners' file on Tuesday, as reported by the state-run National News Agency.
According to statistics from the Interior Ministry, there are approximately 2,500 convicted and imprisoned Syrians in Lebanon, caretaker Justice Minister Henry Khoury said after the meeting.
The meeting was attended by caretaker ministers, municipal heads and security officials.
Following the meeting, Khoury addressed the issue, stating, "Everyone is aware of the issue of prisons in Lebanon, the overcrowding they face, and the presence of Syrian convicts and detainees who have not been sentenced. Therefore, today's meeting was dedicated to exploring the possibility of resolving the issue of Syrian prisoners and convicts. Certainly, the problem cannot be solved without communication with the Syrian state."
'Baissari to undertake this task'
Khoury continued, "Accordingly, it is only natural to assign [acting head of General Security] General Elias Baissari to undertake this task, and to discuss how to implement the work to resolve the issue of prisoners and detainees. This requires studying each case and understanding its magnitude because the matter cannot be resolved through a single process." He emphasized the need to regulate the displacement of Syrians in accordance with Lebanese laws.
Regarding communication with Syrian authorities, Khoury expressed hope for positive outcomes, stating, "We must solve this issue by considering the possibility of handing over Syrian detainees in Lebanon to the Syrian authorities."
In response to a question about forcing Syrian prisoners to complete their sentences in Syria, Khoury stated, "With the agreement of the Syrian authorities, this can be done, and what is the obstacle? Through the law, if the Syrian authorities agree to take them back, the story ends."
Khoury had already been tasked in April 2023 to discuss with the Syrian authorities "the possibility of immediately handing over to Syria detainees and convicts" of Syrian nationality, during a similar ministerial meeting. No results had been achieved during the past year.
In 2022, Mikati blamed the presence of Syrian refugees for Lebanon's "high crime rate," which he said is increasing "due to the crises the country has been facing, causing prison overcrowding that exceeds the capabilities of the Lebanese authorities."
A Human Rights Watch report published last year highlighted the worsening situation in Lebanese prisons since the onset of the economic crisis in 2019.
The report revealed staggering figures for prison overcrowding, with Roumieh, Lebanon's largest prison designed for 1,200 inmates, now housing around 4,000 inmates.
To alleviate the problem of prison overcrowding, the Lebanese government agreed in 2015 to allocate $30 million for the construction of a prison in the town of Majdalya, Zgharta district. However, almost nine years later, the prison has yet to be built.
On another end, Lebanese politicians of all stripes regularly call for the immediate repatriation of Syrian refugees, whom they blame for Lebanon's economic crisis. They assert that the current conditions in Syria allow for such a return, while the UN and other rights groups warn that this is not the case.