ABDULRAHMAN
YUSUF AL-QARADAWI

Background and Work

Abdulrahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi is a fifty-five-year-old poet and political activist who holds dual Egyptian and Turkish nationality. His work centers on political commentary and public expression, much of it critical of authoritarian governance in the Arab region. His writings and public videos have made him a target in the broader campaign to silence dissenting voices.

He was an active participant in the 2011 Egyptian revolution that ended the three-decade presidency of Hosni Mubarak. Before the revolution, he was involved in the founding of the Egyptian Movement for Change, known as Kefaya, a protest coalition that mobilized opposition in the mid-2000s. Although the International Crisis Group later assessed that the movement achieved limited structural reform, it played a visible role in challenging the Mubarak government and laying groundwork for the 2011 uprising.

After the revolution, Abdulrahman participated in the presidential campaign of Mohamed ElBaradei, the former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Following the political upheaval of 2013 and the subsequent crackdown on dissent, he was banned from broadcast media and publication in Egypt. He relocated to Turkey, where he continued to write and publish commentary on regional politics.

His family has been deeply affected by political repression. His sister, Ola al-Qaradawi, has spent several years in arbitrary detention in Egypt on terrorism-related charges that human rights organizations regard as baseless. His late father, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, was a prominent Islamic scholar who died in Qatar in 2022. His father's religious and political influence made the family a recurring target of repression in multiple states.

In late 2024, Abdulrahman published a series of videos online commenting on the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and calling for political change across the Arab world. The videos included sharp criticism of several Arab governments. On 25 December 2024, he published a poem titled "A Lament for the Martyr of the Nation," dedicated to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in October 2024.

Arrest and Forcible Extradition

Abdulrahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi was arrested on 28 December 2024 at the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria while returning from Damascus. Lebanese security forces interrogated him in connection with a 2017 Egyptian court verdict issued in absentia that convicted him of charges including "spreading false news"—a case human rights groups have characterized as politically motivated. The United Arab Emirates also submitted an extradition request.

On 6 January 2025, UN Special Procedures issued an urgent appeal to the Government of Lebanon, warning that extradition to Egypt or the UAE would expose Abdulrahman to a substantial risk of torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and violations of the right to a fair trial. The appeal was ignored.

On 8 January 2025, Lebanon's Council of Ministers approved his extradition to the UAE. He was transferred the same day. The decision violated the principle of non-refoulement under international law, which prohibits the transfer of individuals to states where they face a real risk of torture or other serious human rights violations. His lawyer filed an appeal before Lebanon's State Council, the highest administrative court, on the day of the extradition.

On 23 October 2025, the State Council rejected the appeal in Decision No. 43/2025–2026, effectively ratifying the extradition decree nine months after it had been carried out. Human rights organizations have described the case as an instance of transnational repression, in which states cooperate to transfer dissidents to jurisdictions where they face serious threats to their liberty and safety.

Enforced Disappearance and Conditions of Detention

Since his transfer to the United Arab Emirates, Abdulrahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi has been held incommunicado. The Emirati authorities have not disclosed his place of detention, his legal status, or the nature of any charges or proceedings against him. This prolonged refusal to disclose his whereabouts and legal situation constitutes enforced disappearance under international law.

Contact with his family and lawyers has been almost entirely severed. Only two family visits have been permitted since January 2025—one in March and one in August. Each visit lasted no more than ten minutes and took place at an undisclosed location. No legal counsel has been granted access.

According to his family, Abdulrahman is being held in prolonged solitary confinement. He is denied outdoor exercise, personal belongings, books, and photographs of his children. Communication with the outside world is prohibited except for the two brief supervised visits. These conditions have caused a serious deterioration in his psychological well-being and raise grave concerns about his physical and mental health. Prolonged incommunicado detention significantly heightens the risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

Legal and Human Rights Violations

The arrest, extradition, and continued detention of Abdulrahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi involve multiple violations of international human rights law. His detention is arbitrary under Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The refusal to disclose his location or legal status constitutes enforced disappearance, prohibited under customary international law and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

The conditions of his detention—prolonged solitary confinement, deprivation of outdoor exercise, denial of personal belongings, and near-total isolation—may violate the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) and could amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Lebanon's decision to extradite him despite clear warnings from UN mandate holders violated the principle of non-refoulement and Lebanese obligations under international human rights law. Responsibility for these violations rests with the Emirati authorities and with the Lebanese officials who approved and carried out the transfer.

Concerns have also been raised regarding the limited public action taken by Turkish authorities to protect Abdulrahman as a Turkish citizen. Under international law, states have a responsibility to protect their nationals abroad, including by seeking information about detention, requesting regular consular access, and ensuring their physical and psychological well-being.

International Response

UN Special Procedures issued an urgent appeal on 6 January 2025 calling on Lebanon not to proceed with the extradition. The Lebanese government approved the transfer two days later. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have publicly condemned the extradition and called for disclosure of Abdulrahman's whereabouts and legal status.

His case has been characterized as part of a broader pattern of transnational repression in which Gulf states and Egypt cooperate to pursue political opponents across borders. The continued silence of Turkish authorities, despite his citizenship, has drawn criticism from human rights defenders.

His family has appealed for urgent international action to secure his release or, at a minimum, to obtain information about his location, legal status, and health. As of mid-2025, the Emirati authorities have provided no response.