Beirut, 18/02/2025  

 

Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression,  

Ms. Irene Khan,  

Special Rapporteur on the Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions,  

Mr. Morris Tidball-Binz, 

Special Rapporteur on Torture,  

Dr. Alice Jill Edwards,  

Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, 

Ms. Gina Romero, 

Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, 

Mr. Ben Saul 

 

Subject: Urgent Appeal: Protection of Egyptian-Turkish Poet Abdulrahman Youssef Al-Qaradawi Extradited from Lebanon to the United Arab Emirates  

We are writing to urgently bring your attention to the pressing issue of the Egyptian-Turkish poet Abdulrahman Youssef Al-Qaradawi, currently detained in the United Arab Emirates after being extradited from Lebanon on January 8, 2024. Al-Qaradawi was initially arrested on December 29, 2024 at Al Masnaa crossing in Lebanon upon his return from Syria. During his stay in Syria, he celebrated the fall of the Assad regime and posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) criticizing the foreign policies of Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). His arrest was based on a Judgment in absentia issued against him for a five-year term and circulated to Interpol at the request of the Egyptian authorities for “spreading fake news and opposing the state”, and a Temporary Memorandum issued by the Arab Council of Interior Ministers at the request of the UAE’s Cybercrimes Public Prosecution. for “spreading fake news and rumors, disturbing public security, and spreading information that seeks to disturb public order”. On , 2025, the UAE submitted an extradition request, citing the aforementioned published video. Human Rights Watch has publication in question and “found that it did not constitute recognizable offenses under international law”.  in question and found that it “did not constitute recognizable offenses under international law”.  

The UAE announced the detention of Al-Qaradawi on January 10, 2025, and stressed on “its firm stance against anyone who targets its security and stability and affirming its commitment to relentlessly pursue any individual who poses a threat to national security and take all necessary legal measures". Shortly thereafter, the poet’s account on X (formerly Twitter) was removed. Since his extradition, Al-Qaradawi has been denied any contact with his family and lawyer. 

Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi’s case represents an unprecedented extradition from Lebanon to the UAE of a poet who is solely accused of expressing his political views and criticizing Arab regimes. His extradition might pave the way for more extradition decisions of activists, artists and political figures, potentially sending them to countries accused of gross human rights abuses. This would constitute a blatant violation of Lebanon’s international commitments. 

 

Violations related to the Extradition from Lebanon to the UAE 

Despite a letter signed by over 500 organizations and individuals and sent to the Lebanese Council of Ministers and General Public Prosecutor judge Jamal Hajjar to demand the halt of the extradition of Al-Qaradawi to both the UAE and Egypt, the Lebanese government proceeded with the extradition to the UAE through expedited procedures. The decision was also enforced within 24 hours, denying Al-Qardawi the right to judicial review and the necessary time to prepare his defense.  

The extradition decision violated domestic law and several conventions and treaties that Lebanon has signed, which prevent the extradition of political prisoners including the following:  

  1. Article 13 of the Lebanese Constitution, which guarantees “the freedom to express one's opinion orally or in writing, the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly, and the freedom of association shall be guaranteed within the limits established by law” 

  1. Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees “the right to hold opinions without interference” 

  1. Article 34 of the Lebanese Penal Code which indicates that extradition shall not be granted “if it arises of a crime political nature or if it appears that it is for a political purpose”  

  1. Article 4 of the Extradition Agreement concluded between the Arab League in 1952, which states that “extradition shall not be granted for political crimes, and the determination of whether a crime is political is left to the state to which extradition is requested” 

  1. Article 26 of the judicial agreement between the Lebanese Republic and the Arab Republic of Egypt, which explicitly states that “extradition between the two states shall not be permitted if the crime is political" 

  1. Article 41 (a) of the Riyadh Arab Agreement for Judicial Cooperation, which prohibits extraditions “if the crime for which extradition is requested is considered by the laws of the requested party as a crime of a political nature" 

In addition to violating laws and conventions protecting freedom of expression and political opposition, the extradition decision endangered Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi's life. His family expresses serious concerns that he will be exposed to torture in the UAE and Egypt, which would amount to a violation of the principle of non-refoulement that forms a fundamental protection under International Human Rights Law. This also breaches Lebanon’s commitment to the Convention Against Torture (CAT) ratified by Lebanon, which states in Article 3 that “no State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture”.  

As the aforementioned article states “the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant considerations including, where applicable, the existence in the State concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights”. This makes Al-Qaradawi’s extradition to both Egypt and the UAE a violation of the Convention Against Torture. Furthermore, the extradition of Qaradawi to the UAE is a clear and explicit violation of Article 1 of Lebanon’s Anti-Torture Law No. 65/2017 (Law on the Punishment of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment). 

Amnesty International reports that Egypt “represses political dissidents”, while the International Service for Human Rights has documented a pattern of “fair trial violations” in the UAE, including restricted access to case materials and information, limited legal assistance, judges directing witness testimony, violations of the principle of double jeopardy, credible allegations of serious abuse and ill-treatment, and hearings shrouded in secrecy, namely in the UAE94 case, according to the International Service for Human Rights and  the UAE84 case as reported by Human Rights Watch. Numerous reports document the UAE’s use of torture, particularly against political dissidents and foreign citizens.  In 2022, the Committee Against Torture noted the lack of fundamental legal safeguards for detainees in the UAE and reports on alleged torture acts and issued several recommendations to the UAE authorities in this regard (CAT/C/ARE/CO/1): 

“Fundamental legal safeguards 

11. The Committee is concerned at reports that, despite legislative provisions providing for fundamental legal safeguards, such as those contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, detainees often have difficulty gaining access to counsel, a doctor and family members or other persons of their choice. The Committee is also concerned by reports that detainees are deprived of their right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention, and to have their complaints promptly and impartially examined, especially when the offences for which they are detained involve political activities or State security (arts. 2 and 16).  

12. The Committee recommends that the State party take effective steps to ensure that persons who are arrested have the benefit of all fundamental legal safeguards from the very outset of their detention, including their rights to promptly receive independent legal assistance, to be informed of their rights and of the charges against them, to notify a member of their family or another appropriate person of their own choice of their detention, to request and obtain immediate access to an independent doctor, to challenge the lawfulness of their detention, and to have their complaints promptly and impartially examined. 

 

Allegations of torture or ill-treatment 

13. The Committee takes note of the information provided by the State party’s delegation regarding the number of complaints, prosecutions and convictions for torture since 2019. Nevertheless, the Committee is concerned at reports detailing allegations of torture and ill-treatment of suspects by security and law enforcement officials. The Committee expresses particular concern that reports received detail a pattern of torture and ill-treatment against human rights defenders and persons accused of offences against State security who, by virtue of the State security or terrorism charges against them, are subject to a legal regime with fewer and more restrictive procedural guarantees. The Committee is further concerned at reports[1] of torture or ill-treatment of detainees in reprisal for their cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights (arts. 2, 11 and 16)..." 

 

By extraditing Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi to the UAE, Lebanese authorities have therefore knowingly exposed him to the risk of torture. Under Article 1 of the Lebanese Anti-Toture Law, this knowledge and subsequent action are sufficient to establish the crime of torture. 

It is also worth noting that the requests for Al-Qaradawi’s extradition filed by Egypt and the UAE were circulated through the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council (AIMC), a body of the Arab League tasked with enhancing cooperation and coordination efforts in internal security and crime prevention. This body, specifically its Department of Criminal Prosecution and Data, can facilitate politically motivated extraditions by circulating state-requested warrants in Arab League member states, while leaving impacted individuals unable to access or challenge the extradition request. UN Special Procedures have raised concerns about the AIMC and the human rights abuses resulting from its operations in a communication addressed to the Arab League.  

 

Violations related to detention in the UAE Since his extradition from Lebanon to the UAE, ِAl-Qaradawi has not had any contact with or access to his family members or lawyers. Following the extradition, Al-Qaradawi’s family appointed a lawyer in the UAE who still has no information on his detention conditions. The Turkish Embassy in the UAE was unable to gather any information regarding Al-Qardawi’s condition, making it impossible to establish contact with him. On the other hand, Egyptian authorities remain silent on his extradition, hoping to receive Al-Qaradawi from the UAE at a later stage. It is worth noting that the Egyptian Parliament is currently considering an extradition agreement with the UAE.   

As a result, since his arrest by the UAE on January 10, 2025, following the Lebanese government’s extradition decision, Al-Qaradawi’s family, lawyer, and friends have received no updates about his condition and remain unable to contact him.  

UAE’s denial of Al-Qaradawi’s right to contact his lawyer and family violates several international treaties and conventions including:  

  1. Article 14 of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees fair trial standards, including the right to legal counsel.  

  1. Article 10 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights that indicates that: “All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person” which encompasses the right to an attorney 

  1. Paragraph (c) of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations that underscores the right of legal representation of people deprived from their liberty by states whose nationality they hold stating that “consular officers shall have the right to visit a national of the sending State who is in prison, custody or detention, to converse and correspond with him and to arrange for his legal representation” 

  1. Principle 17 of the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment which states that “A detained person shall be entitled to have the assistance of a legal counsel. He shall be informed of his right by the competent authority promptly after arrest and shall be provided with reasonable facilities for exercising it” 

  1. Rule 1 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (The Nelson Mandela Rules) states that “All prisoners shall be treated with respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings. No prisoner shall be subjected to, and all prisoners shall be protected from, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, for which no circumstances whatsoever may be invoked as a justification. The safety and security of prisoners, staff, service providers and visitors shall be ensured at all times” 

The denial of Al-Qaradawi’s right to access an attorney and communicate with his family underscores the broader pattern of rights violations he has faced since his arrest in Lebanon. 

This issue underscores the urgent need for sustainable guarantees that ensure the protection and rights of activists and citizens practicing their right to express their views. These guarantees start by protecting Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi by:  

  1. Ensuring Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi’s right to communicate with his family and legal counsel in accordance with international human rights standards; 

  1. Pressuring the UAE to protect Al-Qaradawi and guarantee he is not being subjected to ill- treatment or torture and ensure that his detention conditions comply with international law; 

  1. Ensuring Al-Qaradawi’s right to fair trial standards; 

  1. Reaffirming and enforcing international laws protecting freedom of expression;  

  1. Investigating the actions of those responsible for Abdulrahman Al-Qaradawi’s extradition and holding them accountable; 

  1. Ensuring Al-Qaradawi's safe return to Turkey where he resides.  

We express our deep concern regarding the serious breaches to Al-Qaradawi’s rights and respectfully urge the Special Rapporteurs to closely monitors and investigates the situation and intervenes should their findings warrant it.  

We kindly request prompt acknowledgment of receipt of this letter, and please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any additional information or clarification. 

Thank you for your continuous trust and cooperation. 

 

Undersigned Organizations: 

Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) 

MENA Rights Group 

Helem 

The Legal Agenda 

SMEX