Lebanon: and so, the days go on

// A series of testimonies of “a typical day in prison” (8)

Days go by, but just like outside prison, no two days in prison are ever the same. Prison conditions, the daily routine, possible visitors, medical treatment, food, or even access to the right of defence, vary greatly from one prison to another, and from one country to another. Prison Insider publishes testimonies from people who have been, or are currently in prison, and from people who are able to share their experience. This series of testimonies, “A typical day in prison”, puts the truth behind worldwide prison conditions into words.

— in collaboration with AJEM.

Hussein was arrested over seven and a half years ago. His trial is still ongoing and he does not know when it will end. He is in the Roumieh central prison in Lebanon. He tells Prison Insider what his daily life in prison is like.

Around 10 :00 am, I go to my second job which is in an association (the only active association in my prison).

A prisoner’s diary

Every day, I wake up at 5 :30 am. I start off by taking my medicine, I have to take it before I eat. Then, I drink a cup of coffee and have breakfast before I take another type of medication, I have to take it after my meal. I am a server and a janitor so I head over to the administrative offices to start my shift, it’s my turn to clean.
Then around 6:30 am, I wake up everyone who has court hearings that morning so they have time to get ready and leave by 7:30 am. I go out with them, so I can walk around a bit and play with two of the prison cats. One of the cats is named Fox.
At 8:30 am, I go to the ground floor to serve food (bread and fruit are served with other breakfast foods). Sometimes the young inmates and I have to wait an hour for the food to arrive. We use this time to talk and the conversation is often entertaining. Once the food arrives, I make three trips to different administrative offices to deliver it. I am in charge of passing out the bread and fruit while my young co-worker, Walid, hands out the rest.

Around 10 :00 am, I go to my second job which is in an association (the only active association in my prison). I work there until the lunch delivery arrives. Walid and I are in charge of bringing the lunch delivery to the administrative offices so it can be passed out. Then we bring the pots down to the ground floor so that they can be taken outside.

I have barely finished my work for the association and it is already phone time (I rarely call my parents during the week, apart from Fridays and Sundays. These are my only two free days).

Then come the vegetables that need to be divided up. Every day, Walid and I take them to the administrative offices where we pass them out. A little later, we do roll call.

We have task after task until it is night time (We are swamped with tasks until night time). But this is when the real struggle comes about.

I learned how to paint with a very specific kind of paint: it is made from rubbish, vegetables, and cleaning products. The paint is my creation.

Killing time

Abou Ibrahim is a man in his sixties who works with us in the administrative office. You would be taken back and numbed by his tragic life story. He and I pass time playing a card game called « 14 ». Afterward, I make Arabic calligraphy compositions. I have used my time in prison to make ten or so of them in addition to the artistic paintings that I am currently making. I learned how to paint in Roumieh with a very specific kind of paint that I fine-tuned. The paint is made from rubbish, vegetables, and cleaning products. The paint is my creation.

It’s already 10 :30 pm by the time I finish everything I have to do. The day has come to an end and it’s time to go to bed. **The days go on. **

I was arrested over seven and a half years ago, and my trial has yet to come to an end. I do not know how long it will go on for. Maybe I will never know.

Hussein for Prison Insider.

— Translated by Kelly Field & Joseph O’Neill

AJEM

NGO

AJEM is a Lebanese non-governmental organization, aiming, since 1998, at improving the conditions of arrest and detention and providing rehabilitation services for prisoners regardless their nationalities, religion, gender and socio-economic status.

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