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 told Asharq Al-Awsat that Raed Abou Chakra, a deputy prosecutor general in Mount Lebanon, released the pair after the completion of the initial investigations.
They were charged with possessing and using forged passports, and the case was referred to Baabda Criminal Court for trial.
The source said their release followed the end of their pretrial detention period, noting the charge is a misdemeanor. The court may consider the detention sufficient or impose a fine.
Also, they must stay in Lebanon until their trial ends and the sentence is carried out. A judicial source described their legal situation as “difficult and complex.”
The source said that after the court’s ruling, General Security could issue documents allowing them to move freely in Lebanon until a legal way for them to leave is found.
This will remain the case until they obtain new passports, either from Syrian authorities or the Syrian embassy in Beirut. The embassy halted consular services after being linked to the forgery of their previous passports.
Moreover, they admitted after their arrest that they entered Lebanon illegally because their passports had expired. They said they were unprepared for the rapid collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which left them unable to obtain new passports.
A judicial source said the two women can legally return to Damascus to get new passports, as they face no charges in Syria.
“Many families linked to the Assad regime still live in Syria,” the source said, adding that Lebanon will not force them to return unless they choose to.
