UAE receives Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi from Lebanon, his family considers his life "in danger"

The UAE received from the competent authorities in Lebanon Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi, the son of the late Sheikh Youssef Al-Qaradawi, according to what the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported early Friday morning.

The UAE agency said that the extradition took place "based on a request for temporary detention issued against him by the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers - Criminal Prosecution and Information Department, and submitted by the competent authorities in the UAE for committing acts that would provoke and disturb public security."

The agency indicated that the extradition order came based on the submission of an extradition request from the central authority in the UAE, represented by the Ministry of Justice, to the central authority in the Republic of Lebanon, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity and the national laws and legislation of both countries.

The agency added, "The UAE affirms its firm stance against anyone who targets its security and stability, and that it will not hesitate to pursue the wanted persons and take legal action against them."

Reuters reported last Tuesday that the office of the caretaker Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, confirmed that the Lebanese authorities would hand over the Egyptian poet and writer, Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi.

Last Sunday, the family of Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi sent an official letter to the Lebanese Prime Minister, demanding that he immediately intervene to release the poet who is being held in Lebanon.

The family confirmed, in a statement, that Abdel Rahman - who holds Turkish citizenship - was detained in Lebanon "based on malicious accusations and an unjust judicial ruling issued against him in Egypt in 2017."

The family held the Lebanese Prime Minister responsible for Abdul Rahman's safety and ensuring his safe arrival to his family in Turkey, stressing that handing him over to any country pursuing him "puts his life at risk, especially in light of the well-known record of human rights violations in those countries," according to the statement.

Abdul Rahman Al-Qaradawi was arrested upon his arrival in Lebanon via the Masnaa border crossing, returning from Syria on December 29.

Al-Qaradawi's family said in its statement that he entered Lebanese territory legally as a Turkish citizen, and that his detention based on "an in absentia court ruling issued in Egypt as punishment for a newspaper article" is "a procedure that contradicts the values of freedom of opinion and expression that characterize the Republic of Lebanon."

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies + Websites