Damascus urged to intervene for 2,400 Syrians in Lebanese prisons
Shafaq News – Damascus
The detention of thousands of Syrians in Lebanon has become a “highly sensitive” humanitarian and legal issue, a Syrian lawyer warned on Tuesday, urging Damascus and Beirut to take joint action to resolve their cases.
Attorney Mazen Abdul Samad told Shafaq News that many Syrians remain in prolonged pretrial detention without fair trials, in “clear violation” of local and international standards. He stressed that resolving the crisis requires “a clear mechanism to either return the detainees to Syria or ensure speedy and just trials in Lebanon.”
In a recent development, the initiative “Syrians Across Prisons” addressed an open letter to a Syrian government delegation visiting Beirut on behalf of about 2,400 Syrians held in Roumieh prison and other facilities. The group estimated that more than 70% of them have been detained for years without trial, many subjected to arbitrary arrest, torture, and forced confessions. It urged officials not to “leave anyone behind” and called for the detainees’ plight to be placed at the center of discussions with Lebanese authorities.
`📰 بيان صحفي ..🟥 رسالة مفتوحة إلى الوفد السوري القادم إلى بيروت.. 👇@Qidlbi @SyPresidency @syrianmofaex @Asaad_Shaibani @Anas_Khatab_sy @maabdwalshamee1#سجن_رومية #رومية#سوريون_عبر_السجون#أنقذو_المعتقلين_السوريين_في_لبنان pic.twitter.com/O3yDtPGwsJ
— مبادرة سوريون عبر السجون (@syrians_t_p) August 26, 2025
The letter followed an earlier petition by more than 1,700 Syrian detainees in Roumieh, who asked transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa to allow their transfer to Syrian courts, describing dire detention conditions, including a lack of medical care and deaths from illness and abuse. In February, over 100 Syrian detainees in Roumieh launched a hunger strike to protest trial delays.
Families have amplified those demands through public protests. In April, relatives rallied outside the Lebanese Embassy in Damascus, and earlier this month, families gathered at the Jousieh border crossing, describing the detentions as a “humanitarian and political tragedy.”
