Calls to prosecute Lebanon ex-PM Mikati over poet’s extradition

Activists have called for former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to be prosecuted for supervising the extradition of Egyptian poet and activist Abdulrahman al-Qaradawi to the United Arab Emirates.

Campaigners are urging that Mikati be held legally accountable for his decision, citing the potential risk to al-Qaradawi’s life while in detention in the UAE, a country known for its record of torture, ill-treatment of political dissidents, and forced disappearances. 

“You no longer have immunity and you will be prosecuted and all your days will become nightmares. Netanyahu and his soldiers, who are more protected than you, are being prosecuted. So who do you think you are? You will be prosecuted and you will pay the price for your actions. We promise that we will do it,” said Egyptian activist Taqaddum al-Khatib.

Another said: “We want Mikati to be tried and prosecuted internationally”.

There have been no official reports, however, on whether Mikati will be pursued legally.

Al-Qaradwi, is the son of the late Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and has been a leading opposition activist in Egypt over the years, having demonstrated against the leadership of General Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.

He was first detained in Lebanon at the Masnaa border crossing on December 28, his lawyer and Amnesty International said, after returning from Syria where he celebrated the fall of Bashar al-Assad regime, which was toppled following a lightening offensive carried out by the opposition rebels in late November.

The rebels went on to capture Damascus on December 8, which culminated in the end of the Assad regime.

Al-Qaradawi celebrated in front of the Syrian capital’s famed Umayyad Mosque and posted a video online in which he criticised the government of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and his native Egypt.

The 55-year-old was extradited on 8 January from Lebanon to the UAE, a country with a track record of torturing dissidents.

The move prompted an outcry from several NGOs, including Amnesty International, who described the decision as “a troubling trend of exploiting international security cooperation as a tool to suppress fundamental freedoms and restrict individuals’ right to express their opinions”.

“Criticising the authorities is not a crime. If returned to Egypt Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi would be at real risk of enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment, and unfair trial leading to prolonged unjust imprisonment, he would also be at risk of arbitrary detention and other human rights violations if he is returned to the UAE.

The decision also raised eyebrows as al-Qaradawi is not a citizen of the UAE, but a dual Egyptian and Turkish one.

However, the move to deport him was carried out via the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council (AIMC), often known as the “Arab Interpol”, which “permits” Arab governments to extradite criminal suspects to each other, and has been used as a tool to crush dissidents over the years,