Syria–Lebanon agreement on missing persons key to judicial cooperation – Expert
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Pres) – The recent agreement between Syria and Lebanon to form a joint committee on missing persons could have significant positive repercussions on the judiciary in both countries, particularly in addressing unresolved humanitarian cases, an international law expert said on Thursday.
Salam Abdel Samad, an international law specialist, told North Press that the initiative marks “a very significant step, especially regarding the issue of missing persons, which has long been a painful and sensitive issue in Syrian-Lebanese relations.”
Abdel Samad said Lebanon has long urged Damascus to resolve the fate of Lebanese missing persons, under growing pressure from families who continue to live in uncertainty.
He noted that Damascus has recently shown more openness to discussing the issue, while Lebanon has demonstrated readiness to address the cases of Syrians held in Lebanese prisons.
Earlier this week, Syria and Lebanon agreed to establish two joint committees tasked with addressing three major issues: the fate of around 2,000 Syrian prisoners in Lebanese jails, the disclosure of Lebanese citizens who have been missing in Syria for years, and the demarcation of the disputed border between the two countries.
On Sept. 1, a Syrian delegation comprising two former ministers and the head of Syria’s National Committee for Missing Persons visited Beirut. Lebanese judicial and security officials told the Associated Press that the visit paves the way for an upcoming trip by Syria’s foreign and justice ministers, though no date has yet been announced.
The visit, he added, centered on clarifying the circumstances of Syrian detainees in Lebanon and the legal grounds for their continued imprisonment, especially in cases where sentences have expired or legal justification is lacking.
“This negotiation is not merely a gesture of judicial cooperation, but a practical step toward implementing bilateral agreements, which affirm that no one should be detained without a judicial ruling, and that every detainee is entitled to a fair and public trial and the right to defense in line with international conventions,” Abdel Samad said.
He concluded that the current rapprochement “represents an opportunity to rebuild trust between the two peoples and lay the groundwork for genuine judicial cooperation between Lebanon and Syria.”
Reporting by Abdulsalam Khoja