The judicial and security authorities in Lebanon have begun the process of handing over the second batch of Syrian convicts in Lebanese prisons to the Syrian authorities in Damascus, as part of the completion of the implementing clauses of the bilateral judicial agreement signed between the two countries for the exchange of sentenced prisoners.
Lebanese sources said that this step comes to open the door wide for new arrangements and lengthy legal procedures that will be witnessed in the coming stages, especially after the complex political atmosphere and the sharp tensions that preceded and delayed the implementation process for several weeks.
Informed sources revealed that the political decision in Beirut was deliberately delayed in the past under the pretext of fear of the repercussions of the extradition process of Syrians on the file of the "General Amnesty Law" on the Lebanese discussion table, and the fears of some parties about the negative effects of this on the reality of Lebanese prisoners.
Details of the second batch and one exception
According to a Lebanese judicial source, the batch that will be handed over today includes 128 Syrian convicts who were serving their sentences in Lebanese prisons.
According to the judicial source, the extradition process witnessed a remarkable incident, where one of the convicts refused to leave for Syria, submitting an official request to carry out the rest of his sentence inside Lebanese territory, which was responded to in accordance with the legal and humanitarian standards followed in such bilateral agreements that prohibit forcible transfer in the event of significant legal or personal impediments.
Complications of personal right delay third installment
Regarding the next steps, the judicial source revealed that the third batch that is being prepared will include 50 convicts, adding that this particular batch "will take some time" and will not be implemented quickly.
According to the Lebanese judicial source, the reason for this is due to the nature of the sentences issued against them, which include a clause related to the personal right and the determination of financial compensation for the victims, which are complex legal matters that need to be settled judicially before the decision to deport and extradite is made.
According to the source, the completion of the third tranche will mark a turning point in the course of the agreement. The move will then be made to the "individual requests" system. According to the terms of the bilateral agreement, any Syrian convict will be able to submit an individual request for extradition to his country, and if the required legal and judicial conditions are met, he will be extradited immediately. This measure will inevitably mean that the two countries will no longer be restricted to any predetermined numbers or quotas, but will become subject to individual files and the extent to which they meet the conditions.
Today's handover was not far from political tussles. The source revealed that the second batch was supposed to be delivered weeks ago, but the political decision in Lebanon caused it to be postponed. This Lebanese delay came under the pretext of fear of the repercussions of the extradition process of Syrians on the file of the "general amnesty law" proposed in Lebanon, and the fears of some parties that this would negatively affect Lebanese prisoners.
However, the past few days have witnessed intensive and direct contacts between the Lebanese and Syrian sides. According to the source, Damascus exerted great and direct pressure to push the file forward, which ultimately led to the overcoming of political obstacles and an agreement to implement the handover process today.
Syrian commitment to transparency and follow-up
In the context of the ongoing security and judicial coordination, the source confirmed that the Lebanese authorities have already begun to receive periodic and detailed schedules from the Syrian side containing all the details related to the legal status of the convicts who were previously extradited.
These schedules include keeping Lebanon informed of any developments, so that Syria is obliged to officially inform the Lebanese authorities in the event that any convict ends his sentence and is released, which ensures close follow-up of the files and prevents any future legal ambiguities between the two countries.
In this context, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed on Tuesday that coordination between Lebanon and Syria exists and continues on more than one level, especially in the security and judicial fields.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Aoun referred to joint cooperation between his country and Damascus during his meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen for the return of Syrian refugees in Lebanon to their country.
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