Lebanon to deport Egyptian-Turkish dissident who celebrated Assad's fall to UAE
Lebanon will deport an Egyptian-Turkish activist and dissident who celebrated the ouster of Syria's Bashar al-Assad to the United Arab Emirates, rejecting appeals from human rights groups who advocated for his release.
Abdul Rahman Yusuf, the son of Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi who died in 2022, was detained by Lebanese authorities on 28 December after returning from Syria, where he took part in celebrations following the fall of Assad.
A staunch critic of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Yusuf recorded videos in Damascus where he said he hoped the country's future wouldn't be hindered by Arab states including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
In one video, Yusuf said: "Rest assured the victory is imminent, in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, and all countries that revolted against injustice and tyranny."
Following his arrest, that video was shared widely on Arabic-language social media, with accounts associated with the Saudi and Egyptian governments calling for his deportation.
Lebanese officials did not immediately comment on his case, but the local news channel LBC reported that the Lebanese cabinet decided to deport him to the Emirates after ongoing legal and political discussions surrounding his arrest had "drawn attention".
No further details were provided on when he would be deportated.
MEE reached out to the UAE and Turkish foreign ministries for comment but did not receive a response by time of publication.
Hours before the Lebanese cabinet issued its judgment, Amnesty International had implored Lebanese authorities to reject extradition requests that had been filed by both the UAE and Egypt.
"Criticising the authorities is not a crime," Sara Hashash, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.
"Forcibly extraditing him to a country where he is likely to face persecution would be a flagrant breach of the principle of non-refoulement under international law," she said.
"This case is a crucial test of the Lebanese authorities’ commitment to the right to freedom of expression. They must put their respect for human rights and obligations under international law before political ties and economic interests," she added.
Rights groups have repeatedly criticised the UAE's treatment of activists and dissidents, citing countless examples of torture against prisoners of conscience.
Last year, the UAE sentenced 43 people to life in prison, including notable academic Nasser bin Ghaith - who had been held since August 2015 over his social media posts.
He was among dozens of people sentenced in the wake of a wide-ranging crackdown in the UAE following the 2011 Arab Spring uprising.
The UAE did not experience any attempt to overthrow its governments but cracked down against demonstrators and those perceived to be dissenters.
