Civil Emergency Authority calls for 'taking advantage' of Qatari mediation in the case of detained Syrians in Lebanon

The Civil Emergency Authority said the Qatari government is prepared to intervene as an official mediator to address "growing concerns over overcrowded prisons and the plight of over 2,550 Syrian detainees held in Lebanon," according to a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency on Saturday.

"Qatar has offered to mediate the transfer of Syrian detainees from Lebanon back to Syria. The proposed mediation would aim to ensure the transfer of detainees in line with international standards and agreements, which would be a significant step in alleviating the overcrowding in Lebanese prisons and addressing the broader humanitarian concerns surrounding the issue," the statement said.

The Civil Emergency Authority stressed that the mediation effort would be a "collaborative, official initiative with the goal of facilitating a resolution that meets both legal and human rights standards." It added that Qatar's potential involvement is seen as a "crucial development in finding a sustainable solution to the growing issue of detainee numbers and overcrowded prison conditions."

Prison conditions worsened during the war between Hezbollah and Israel, with overcrowding exceeding 300 percent of capacity.

This surge was partly due to the transfer of about 600 inmates from Baalbeck and southern Lebanon prisons to more secure facilities, as well as security challenges in transporting detainees to interrogation hearings, preventing them from submitting release requests.

Lebanon’s prisons and detention centers currently hold 8,402 inmates, nearly half of them foreigners—mostly Syrians (2,572) and Palestinians (563).

A staggering 83 percent of detainees have yet to face trial, exacerbating the overcrowding crisis beyond the complications of foreign crime. These figures come from the Beirut Bar Association’s Prison Committee, headed by Joseph Eid under the supervision of Bar President Fadi Masri, in collaboration with the Interior Ministry and the Internal Security Forces. The numbers were released Aug. 28.