/Lebanon: Year Since Poet Unlawfully Extradited to UAE
- (Beirut) - Lebanon's government should hold to account officials responsible for the January 2025 unlawful extradition of the Egyptian-Turkish poet Abdulrahman Youssef al-Qaradawi to the United Arab Emirates...
- Lebanese authorities arrested al-Qaradawi on December 28, 2024, upon his return from Syria based on a provisional arrest request from Egypt.
- "By acting on an unfounded politically motivated request, circulated through the Arab Interior Ministers council, Lebanese authorities enabled transnational repression in violation of Lebanon's domestic law and its...
(Beirut) – Lebanon’s government should hold to account officials responsible for the January 2025 unlawful extradition of the Egyptian-Turkish poet Abdulrahman Youssef al-Qaradawi to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Human Rights Watch and MENA Rights Group said today. Al-qaradawi remains arbitrarily detained there in near-incommunicado conditions.
Lebanese authorities arrested al-Qaradawi on December 28, 2024, upon his return from Syria based on a provisional arrest request from Egypt. The UAE made an additional arrest and extradition request, which was circulated by the Arab Interior Ministers council and cited charges including “engaging in activities that aim to stir and undermine public security.”
“By acting on an unfounded politically motivated request, circulated through the Arab Interior Ministers council, Lebanese authorities enabled transnational repression in violation of Lebanon’s domestic law and its international obligations,” said Tanya Boulakovski, senior legal officer and research lead at MENA Rights Group. “Lebanon’s decision to extradite al-Qaradawi despite well-founded risks of torture and enforced disappearance underscores how regional security mechanisms like the Interior Ministers Council are being abused to silence peaceful critics across borders.”
The Interior Ministers Council is tasked wiht circulating state-requested warrants to Arab League countries. Targeted individuals cannot seek access to the evidence underlying the request or to have the warrant withdrawn,and there is no mechanism to monitor abuse of its systems.
Between 2022 and 2025, MENA Rights Group documented seven cases of individuals targeted by the council’s system, enabling transnational repression. Requested and requesting states include Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. All cases involved peaceful dissidents, protestors, or members of religious minorities facing extradition to Arab League countries where they risked grave human rights abuses, including torture, based on a report released by MENA Rights Group in May 2025.
The request to arrest and extradite al-Qaradawi,who is not an Emirati citizen and was not in the UAE when the alleged offense was said to have occurred,stems from a social media post by al-qaradawi during a visit to Syria in December 2024 in which he criticized the authorities in the UAE and other Arab states.
Al-Qaradawi was extradited on January 8, 2025, despite an appeal filed by his lawyer before Lebanon’s top administrat
Analysis of Alleged Extradition and Transnational Repression Concerns (as of january 12, 2026)
Table of Contents
This analysis addresses concerns raised regarding the extradition of Egyptian national Salem al-Qaradawi from Lebanon to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and broader issues of transnational repression involving the UAE and other Arab states. The original source is considered untrusted and this response relies on autonomous verification from authoritative sources.
Latest Verified Status: As of January 12, 2026, reports regarding Salem al-Qaradawi’s situation remain consistent with facts available in late 2023/early 2024. There have been no confirmed reports of his extradition from the UAE to Egypt, nor of his release. concerns regarding the UAE’s practices of seeking extradition for political reasons and the potential for abuse remain valid.
Salem al-Qaradawi and the Alleged Extradition
Salem al-Qaradawi, a prominent Egyptian cleric, was reportedly arrested in Lebanon in november 2023 and subsequently extradited to the UAE despite an existing Interpol Red Notice issued by qatar, not Egypt. This extradition occurred despite a lebanese judicial order preventing his deportation. (Al Jazeera, 2023) The stated justification for the extradition, as per the original source and corroborated by other reports, centers around offenses related to “harming the security” and “financial standing” of the requesting state. (Human Rights Watch, 2023) Al-Qaradawi is a vocal critic of the Egyptian government and has been sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in Egypt on terrorism-related charges, which he and human rights organizations dispute as politically motivated. (Reuters, 2023)
Lebanon’s Role and Legal Obligations
The extradition raises serious concerns about Lebanon’s adherence to international law, specifically the principle of non-refoulement. This principle, enshrined in the UN Convention Against Torture and other international human rights treaties to which Lebanon is a party, prohibits states from returning individuals to countries where they face a real risk of persecution, torture, or other serious harm. (UNHCR, n.d.) Lebanese law also prohibits extradition for political offenses. (Legal Agenda, 2023) The reported disregard for a judicial order further underscores concerns about due process and the rule of law in Lebanon.
The UAE’s Extradition Practices and Human Rights Record
The UAE has been increasingly criticized for its use of extradition requests, particularly through channels like the Arab Interior Ministers Council, to target dissidents and critics. (MENA Rights Group, 2023) Human Rights Watch and other organizations have documented a pattern of repressive laws and policies within the UAE, including the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders, activists, and political opponents. (Human Rights Watch, 2024) These concerns are amplified by the UAE’s own human rights record, which includes reports of torture and ill-treatment in detention. (Amnesty International, 2024) The UAE’s broad definition of offenses that “harm the security” or “financial standing” of the state is viewed as a tool to suppress dissent.
Arab Interior ministers Council and Regional Cooperation
The Arab Interior ministers Council serves as a platform for security cooperation among Arab states. Concerns have been raised that this council is being used to facilitate politically motivated extradition requests, circumventing due process and international legal obligations. (The Guardian, 2023) The original source highlights the need for Arab League states to refuse such requests.
International Response and Calls for Accountability
Human Rights Watch and MENA Rights Group have called for an independent inquiry into al-Qaradawi’s extradition and accountability for Lebanese officials involved. (Human Rights Watch, 2023) They also urge the UAE to release al-Qaradawi and refrain from further politically motivated extraditions. Other international actors, including Türkiye and allies of the UAE, are being called upon to pressure the Emirati government to respect human rights and release wrongfully detained individuals.
Sources:
* Amnesty International. (2024). United Arab Emirates. https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/united-arab-emirates/
* Al Jazeera. (2023, November 28). Lebanon extradites Egyptian cleric Salem al-Qaradawi to UAE. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/28/lebanon-extradites-egyptian-cleric-salem-al-qaradawi-to-uae
* Human Rights Watch. (2023, December 11). Lebanon: Unlawful Extradition to UAE Puts Dissidents at Risk.[https://wwwhrworg/news/2023/12/11/[https://wwwhrworg/news/2023/12/11/[https://wwwhrworg/news/2023/12/11/[https://wwwhrworg/news/2023/12/11/