Egyptian poet in exile detained in Lebanon after celebrating Assad’s fall; faces possible extradition

Abdul Rahman Yusuf, a prominent Egyptian poet living in exile, was arrested in Lebanon on Saturday after participating in rallies in Syria celebrating the fall of the Assad regime, according to Middle East Eye.

Yusuf’s lawyer, Mohamad Sablouh, confirmed that his client is scheduled to face prosecution on Tuesday. The arrest reportedly stems from a lawsuit filed by Egyptian and Emirati authorities, who are pushing for Yusuf’s extradition.

Sablouh warned that extraditing Yusuf to Egypt would violate Article 3 of the Torture Convention, which prohibits deportation to countries where individuals may face torture. “The extradition of Yusuf to Egypt would amount to a breach of Article 3,” Sablouh stated in a video shared on Facebook.

Yusuf, the son of controversial Egyptian cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, has been a vocal critic of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. A supporter of the Arab Spring that ousted Hosni Mubarak, Yusuf emerged as a strong opponent of el-Sisi following the 2013 coup that overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi. Yusuf has since accused el-Sisi of authoritarianism and has called for resistance against repressive regimes in the Middle East. El-Sisi’s government, in turn, has accused Yusuf of inciting unrest.

Rights groups have repeatedly criticized Egypt for imprisoning and torturing political dissidents. Yusuf’s legal team is advocating for his extradition to Turkey, where he also holds citizenship, to avoid potential persecution in Egypt.