Egyptian dissident and poet Abdel-Rahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who was detained by Lebanese authorities on Dec. 28, 2024, is to be interrogated on Monday by the Lebanese judiciary, a senior judicial source told L'Orient Today. Qaradawi's arrest sparked outrage in Lebanon and abroad, prompting a protest in Beirut and the launch of an online petition asking for his release. 

According the the judicial source, Qaradawi "was arrested and detained in Masnaa crossing" as he was coming back from Syria, on Saturday. The General Security is to take him to Beirut today, for an interrogation with the public prosecutor office.

Before the questioning, protestors have gathered outside the Beirut Palace of Justice, demanding the immediate release of the dissident, the state-run National News Agency reported Monday.

His arrest was carried out in coordination with the Egyptian government, based on an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol, according to the National News Agency. However, no red notice (a request made to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person) has been issued in Qaradawi's name on Interpol website.

Abdel-Rahman, the son of the late spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, entered Lebanon on a Turkish passport. He is accused, according to Egyptian media, of inciting political unrest and spreading false news, charges which many view as politically motivated. These accusations are linked to a series of convictions, including a three-year sentence for allegedly spreading false information and another three years for insulting the judiciary, NNA reported.

He is charged for allegedly 'inciting political unrest' 

These charges stem from his vocal criticism of Egypt's leadership, particularly since the 2013 military coup that ousted former President Mohamed Morsi.

The Muslim Brotherhood, a group that was declared a terrorist organization by the Egyptian government after Morsi's ousting. Abdel-Rahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has been an outspoken critic of the Egyptian regime and its crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition groups. 

As voices demand for his release, a petition has been circulating, signed by individuals and organizations, demanding the release of Abdel-Rahman and the "cessation of practices of cross-border repression." The petition condemns the Lebanese government's alleged involvement in facilitating his detention, which it describes as a "clear violation of international human rights obligations."

It calls on Lebanon to "honor its commitments under international conventions, especially the Convention Against Torture, to prevent the extradition of individuals who face the risk of torture or inhumane treatment."

The petition also "urges the international community and human rights organizations to take immediate action to address this case, and to challenge the use of international security agreements as tools for political repression."