Islamist prisoners' families held protests in north Lebanon, Bekaa to demand general amnesty

BEIRUT — Families of Islamist prisoners held protests in Northern Lebanon and the Bekaa on Friday to demand a general amnesty.

In the Jeb Jenin–Kamed al-Lawz intersection in West Bekaa, they held a sit-in to demand the release of the Islamist detainees, according to our correspondent in the region Sarah Abdallah. During the protest, banners were raised calling for a general amnesty.

One of the participants, Sheikh Mohammad al-Ali, warned Lebanese officials that they "could face the same fate as the regime in Syria and be held accountable for their actions."

The Assad regime was overthrown in December 2024 by a rebel coalition led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The leader of this group, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has been Syria's president since January.

Another participant in the sit-in, Omar Hammoud, said that the "Islamists in prison have not been tried and are not political prisoners, therefore they should be released immediately, and it is unacceptable to trade them off against other detainees accused of collaboration or drug-related crimes."

Calls for a general amnesty for these prisoners have been made several times. However, such a move carries the risk of incorporating Lebanon's confessional power-sharing arrangements into the process and could result in the simultaneous release of tens of thousands of people jailed for drug offenses or other crimes.

In northern Lebanon, a sit-in was held after Friday noon prayers at the Bebnin – Abdeh roundabout, which is the southern entrance to Akkar Governorate, according to our correspondent in the region.

The protesters demanded a swift resolution of the cases of Islamist detainees, the acceleration of their trials, and a general amnesty for them.

The event was attended by MP Walid al-Baarini, along with public figures and religious leaders. Security forces were present at the scene to accompany the demonstration and maintain order.

According to figures obtained by L'Orient-Le Jour in February from the Interior Ministry, 50 percent of detainees in Lebanon have yet to be tried.

For Islamists, 55 percent are being held without a verdict.

Mohammad Sablouh, an attorney defending several of them, also said in February that there are about 350 Islamist detainees in total: 180 Lebanese and 170 Syrians.

Recently, Syrian and Lebanese officials have discussed the fate of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, an issue that became prominent since the arrival to power in Damascus of Sharaa's coalition.