In March, Jean Yusuf Chahin, who lives in a modest...

In March, Jean Yusuf Chahin, who lives in a modest suburban home in western Sydney, arrived in Australia two years ago on a holiday visa. A former soldier in the fundamentalist Lebanese Forces Christian militia, he was one of three men sentenced to death by firing squad, in absentia, by courts in Beirut two years ago for his alleged role in at least nine murders, and the bombing of a Church in Lebanon. He has applied for residency in Australia as a refugee. Even if there was an extradition treaty, the Federal Government cannot expel anyone who faces a death penalty. It is not clear whether Lebanese authorities are aware of Chahin's whereabouts but sources said they had not made any formal requests for his extradition.