Lebanese Justice Minister announces progress on missing detainees in Syrian prisons

Lebanon's Justice Minister, Henri Khoury, announced that Prime Minister Najib Mikati has received a list of Lebanese individuals missing in Syrian prisons. 

Khoury explained that the names were provided by the Committee on Missing Persons, headed by the Beirut Public Prosecutor. 

Mikati is expected to take the necessary steps to follow up on the matter.

"We hope that the contacts he will undertake will yield positive results. However, this does not prevent the committee from continuing its work, including listening to testimonies from those previously detained in Syrian prisons," Khoury stated.

He noted that the Emergency Committee, formed by a Cabinet decision, is actively meeting and working toward positive outcomes for the families of the missing. 

"The goal is to uncover the fate of those still unaccounted for in Syria," he added.

Khoury emphasized that while most Syrian prisons have reportedly been cleared of detainees, concerns remain about the existence of secret facilities holding unfreed prisoners. 

"We all hope to find the Lebanese who were detained or arrested by Syrian authorities during that period," he said.

In addition, Khoury revealed that he received a list from Mikati of over 6,500 detainees in Lebanese prisons. 

"We will review the list to determine the necessary actions to address this issue," he concluded.