Lebanese judicial authorities approve handover of former Assad-era commander after determining legal requirements for extradition were satisfied
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s top prosecutor has ordered authorities to extradite former Syrian General Adel Issa to Syria, where he faces allegations of murder and crimes against humanity linked to his service under the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad.
Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Judge Ahmad Rami al-Haj approved Issa’s transfer after Lebanese judicial authorities determined that the necessary legal conditions had been fulfilled, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Tuesday.
The authorities based the extradition decision on a Lebanese-Syrian judicial agreement signed in 1951.
Former Commander to Be Handed Over at Border
Al-Haj directed the Central Criminal Investigations Department to transfer Issa from his detention facility at Beirut’s Palace of Justice to the General Security Directorate.
Subsequently, Lebanese authorities will transport the former general to the Syrian border, where a Syrian security committee will receive him.
Issa previously served as a senior officer in Syria’s military under Assad and commanded the army’s 17th Division. He also commanded government ground forces in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.
Lebanese authorities detained Issa earlier this month after he visited the Syrian Embassy in Beirut for administrative paperwork. Syria had previously issued a warrant against him.
Issa has denied the allegations.
Syrian Authorities Pursue Former Assad-Era Officials
Meanwhile, Syria’s new authorities have intensified legal proceedings against figures associated with the former government.
On Tuesday, a Syrian court sentenced Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of Bashar al-Assad, to death after convicting him of crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The court also ordered authorities to confiscate his movable and immovable assets for the state treasury.
Prosecutors accused Wassim of establishing and operating irregular armed groups beginning in 2011 under orders linked to the Fourth Division.
The latest proceedings underscore Damascus’ widening effort to prosecute former military and government figures accused of serious crimes committed during Syria’s prolonged conflict.
