Daily Star - Judiciary Calls For Release Of Three Refugees

Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: The Lebanese judiciary on Friday called for the immediate release of three arbitrarily detained refugees. The Jdeideh Metn Court of Urgent Matters, presided over by Judge Mirielle Haddad, issued three verdicts requesting the release of Wissam al-Youssef, Riyad Hashem and Maytham al-Rabih. The nationalities of the men, who have been in prison for over 11 months, were not released.
The men had each received one month sentences and were ordered to pay fines for entering Lebanon illegally. One was also sentenced to be deported.
The court said the men had served more time than their sentences stipulated, adding that their continued imprisonment constituted “a dangerous violation of legal decisions” that had no legal justification. Haddad said she based her decision on Article 8 of the Lebanese Constitution, international treaties such as the Universal Declaration for Human Rights, and other international agreements that are supposed to have been incorporated into the Constitution.
The decision follows a similar verdict issued by the Zahle Court for Urgent Matters in December 2009, when Judge Cynthia Qatherji ordered the immediate release of Iraqi refugee Yusra al-Amiri. The decision was questioned by General Security, sparking a public outcry which resulted in Amiri being transferred to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees earlier this month.
On Friday, Frontiers Ruwad Association said the verdicts highlighted the important role of the judiciary in protecting personal freedoms and ensuring respect for the Constitution. – The Daily Star