Lebanese judiciary approves release of Fadel Shaker on bail

Nine months after his arrest, the Lebanese judiciary on Wednesday agreed to release artist Fadel Shaker in four cases filed against him on bail, according to a judicial source quoted by AFP.

Shaker, born to a Lebanese father and a Palestinian mother, is one of the most famous singers of the past three decades in the Arab world, known for his romantic works and warm voice, until he retired from singing in 2012 after his rapprochement with the hardline Sunni cleric Ahmad al-Assir, who was known for his anti-Hezbollah stance following the outbreak of the Syrian war.

Shaker is being tried in four separate security cases in which previous absentee sentences ranged from five years to 15 years with hard labor.

A judicial source told AFP on condition of anonymity: 'The Permanent Military Court, headed by Brigadier General Wassim Fayyad, agreed to release artist Fadel Shaker in the four security cases brought against him, most notably the so-called "Abra case."' The source added: 'The court released Fadel Shaker in three cases on bail of 100 million Lebanese pounds ($1,100) per file, and bail of 200 million pounds ($2,200) for a fourth file known as the Abra case.'

According to the source, Shaker is expected to leave the prison at the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday after his legal team paid the bail.

In June 2013, clashes broke out between al-Assir supporters and the Lebanese army in the town of Abra near Sidon (south) following an attack on a military checkpoint. The fighting killed 18 soldiers and 11 gunmen, and ended with the army taking control of a complex that al-Assir and his supporters, including Shaker, had used as their headquarters.

The latter, whose real name is Fadel Shamandar, went into hiding for more than a decade in the Ein al-Hilweh camp, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, until he surrendered to the army on October 5, 2025, aiming to close his case, amid changing political power balances in Lebanon and the decline of Hezbollah's political influence within institutions including the judiciary, after a war with Israel.

The files include charges of participating in the formation of an armed group with intent to disrupt security and state prestige and financing it, in reference to al-Assir's group, in addition to involvement in clashes against the army in Abra, and making statements deemed offensive to Lebanon's relations with a sister state, in reference to statements against the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad after the outbreak of the conflict in 2011.

Shaker had previously pleaded not guilty through his lawyers, asserting that he did not participate in the shooting at the army during the battles known as the 'Abra events.' The Lebanese judiciary acquitted him in May of a case of attempting to assassinate a local official of a group linked to Hezbollah. As for al-Assir, who was arrested by authorities in 2015 while trying to flee through Beirut airport, he was sentenced to death in 2017.

In recent years, Shaker's appearances were limited to media appearances and a few musical works. However, months before surrendering himself, he released new songs that gained widespread popularity and garnered hundreds of millions of views.