Lebanese judiciary releases Rifaat al-Assad’s granddaughter and her mother
Shafaq News/ Lebanese authorities have released Shams Duraid al-Assad, granddaughter of Syria’s Rifaat al-Assad, and her mother, Rasha Khazem, a week after their arrest at Beirut Airport for using forged passports to try to travel abroad, a judicial source reported on Friday.
The source informed Asharq Al-Awsat that Raed Abou Chakra, a deputy prosecutor general in Mount Lebanon, ordered the release of the two women on residency bonds after concluding preliminary investigations.
They were charged with “possession and use of forged passports on Lebanese territory,” and the case was referred to Baabda Criminal Court for trial.
The source explained that their release came after they exhausted the maximum allowable period for pre-trial detention. “The offense constitutes a misdemeanor involving the use of forged official documents. The court will deliberate on this basis and issue its ruling accordingly,” the source said, noting that the court may either settle for time served or impose a financial penalty.
Shams al-Assad and Rasha Khazem are required to remain in Lebanon until their trial concludes and any subsequent sentence is carried out. The judicial source acknowledged their complex legal predicament: “After the court’s ruling, Lebanon’s General Security may provide temporary documents enabling them to move within Lebanese territory until a permanent legal solution for their departure is found.”
The primary obstacle for Shams and Rasha remains the lack of valid passports. According to the source, their situation will persist until new passports are issued, either by Syria’s new authorities or the Syrian Embassy in Beirut.
The embassy has ceased issuing documents following revelations of involvement in forgery, including altering passport validity dates.
During their initial detention, both women admitted entering Lebanon illegaly due to their expired passports. They also claimed they were unprepared for “the rapid collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime,” which disrupted their efforts to obtain new travel documents.
The judicial source confirmed that the two women can legally return to Damascus to get new passports, as they face no charges in Syria.
“Many families linked to the al-Assad regime still live in Syria,” the source stated, adding that Lebanon will not force them to return unless they choose to.
