Shaker’s move to Qatar has been reportedly facilitated by diplomat and deputy PM Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani [Getty/file photo]
Lebanese singer Fadl Shaker is set to leave Lebanon for Qatar after a military court lifted a travel ban against him, according to Lebanese media, paving the way for the controversial artist to seek medical treatment in Doha.
Shaker will reportedly relocate to the Gulf state after Qatari diplomat Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani intervened on “humanitarian grounds”. Lebanese media reported that Al Thani would oversee the singer’s travel, accommodation and medical care.
The move comes days after a Lebanese military court ordered that Shaker’s passport be returned to him, provided he appears at all future court hearings related to the cases still pending against him.
The decision followed the court’s approval of his release in four separate cases linked to the 2013 Sidon violence, after he spent around nine months in detention.
He was released on bail totalling 500 million Lebanese pounds (around $5,500), including 200 million pounds for the so-called Abra case, with the remainder spread across three other files.
Shaker’s next hearing is scheduled for September after being postponed from August. He will be required to attend all future hearings and comply with the remaining judicial proceedings.
Popular across the Arab world for decades and best known for his 2003 hit Ya Ghayeb, Shaker surrendered to Lebanese authorities in October 2025 after spending 12 years in hiding in the Ain El-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon.
He became a fugitive in 2013 after being accused of participating in clashes against the Lebanese army alongside followers of Salafist cleric Ahmed al-Assir.
The fighting left more than a dozen Lebanese soldiers dead, while around 50 people, including civilians, were killed in the wider violence.
Shaker has consistently denied taking part in the fighting but was sentenced in absentia to 22 years of hard labour in 2020. He also faced accusations of providing financial and logistical support to Al-Assir’s armed group.
Fadl Shaker is back. But is he welcome?
The June 2013 Sidon clashes came amid heightened sectarian tensions fuelled by the spillover from Syria’s civil war. The violence was triggered after several people attacked the vehicle of Al-Assir’s brother, Amjad, prompting the cleric to issue an ultimatum demanding Hezbollah members vacate apartments they were residing in in Sidon within a week.
Clashes soon broke out between supporters of Hezbollah and followers of Al-Assir before escalating into fighting between the Lebanese army and the cleric’s supporters, including Shaker. Around 50 people were killed, including more than a dozen Lebanese soldiers and two civilians.
After spending years in hiding, Shaker attempted to revive his music career last year by releasing several new songs, as well as a documentary chronicling his version of the 2013 events.
His comeback drew mixed reactions, with some welcoming his return while others strongly opposed it. Several of his songs were also removed from television dramas.
The 57-year-old is also expected to perform in neighbouring Saudi Arabia in what would be his first major concert in years.
