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Lebanon

Capital city — Beirut

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Panorama

Living conditions

Accommodation

The law establishes a minimum standard for living space per prisoner

no

Prisoners are accommodated in single cells

no

Cell sizes and capacities vary significantly within and between prisons. For the most part, cells are crowded and cramped. In Roumieh prison, some cells hold about ten prisoners while other cells consist of large dormitories for over 100 people. Women are kept with about ten fellow prisoners in Qobbeh prison, and between five to seven per cell in Babar Khazen prison.1
Prisoners surround their mattresses with cardboard boxes or sheets to create a “private space”.

  1. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, p. 102. ↩

Prisoners sleep on

  • a mattress on the floor
  • a straw mattress

Prison regulations do not require beds in prison cells. Instead, prisoners are provided with a sponge, cotton, or straw mattress (Article 86 of Decree No. 14310 and Article 59 of Decree No. 6236).1

  1. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, pp. 92-93. ↩

All the prisoners are provided with bedding

yes

Bedding arrangements vary depending on the authority in charge of the facility. The Ministry of Internal Affairs is required to provide prisoners with a mat, a straw mattress, a pillow, a sheet, and a blanket (Article 86 of Decree No. 14310). The Ministry of Defence must provide prisoners under its jurisdiction with a sponge or cotton mattress, a pillow, a sheet, and two blankets (Article 59 of Decree No. 6236).1
The ECPM fact-finding mission learned that prisoners’ mattresses are worn out and infested with fleas. They are not allowed to buy new ones.2

  1. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, pp. 92-93. ↩

  2. Ibid., p. 104. ↩

In 2016, the UN Committee against Torture noted that “there is a lack of sunlight in the cells, which exposes prisoners to illnesses caused by lack of sun and insufficient daylight (respiratory diseases, asthma, dermatitis, etc.)”.1 The Lebanese Centre for Human Rights reported that half of all the country’s prisons do not have windows large enough for prisoners to read or work by daylight. These windows do not allow for proper air renewal. There are no provisions for lighting and ventilation conditions in the prison regulations.2

  1. UN Committee against Torture, ‘Consideration of reports submitted by States Parties under Article 19 of the Convention’, 9 March 2016, §432.4, p. 85. ↩

  2. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 23. ↩

The cells/dormitories are provided with electric lighting

in some cases

Prisoners and guards alike ask NGOs for light bulbs to replace damaged ones. The prison administration lacks the means to procure them. Like the rest of the country’s population, the prison population is affected by frequent power cuts.

  • On 31 March 2021, Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) visited Roumieh prison. It noted frequent power outages. The rationing of electricity due to the economic crisis and inflation hit prisoners particularly hard.

    i
    04/05/2022
    / National Human Right Commission including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) / Lebanon’s National CPT – Report to the UNSPT, p. 12

The cells/dormitories are equipped with heating and/or air conditioning

no

In most facilities, temperatures are very high in summer and very low in winter. Humidity levels are also high.1

  1. UN Committee against Torture, ‘Consideration of reports submitted by States Parties under Article 19 of the Convention’, 9 March 2016, §432.4, p. 85 ↩

  • On 31 March 2021, Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) visited Roumieh prison. It noted the bedsheets of several prisoners in Block B were rotten as a result of an increase in temperatures, high humidity and bad ventilation.

    i
    04/05/2022
    / National Human Right Commission including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) / Lebanon’s National CPT – Report to the UNSPT, p. 12

Hygiene

Showers are located in the cells/dormitories

no

Sanitation facilities in most prisons are dilapidated. Bathrooms are “small, dirty and inadequate for providing prisoners with decent living conditions”. They often have no showers or hot water.1

  1. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 24. ↩

Prisoners must wash their faces and hands every morning. They must bathe their bodies twice a week in winter, and three times a week during the rest of the year (Article 109 of Decree No. 14310).1

  1. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 24. ↩

Sanitary facilities are clean, adequate and accessible

no

In 2016, the UN Committee against Torture noted “the lack of respect for prisoners’ legal rights on personal hygiene”.1 Notably, toilets lack seats. 2

  1. UN Committee against Torture, ‘Consideration of reports submitted by States Parties under Article 19 of the Convention’, 9 March 2016, §432.5, p. 85. ↩

  2. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 24. ↩

The prison service provides personal hygiene products free of charge

no

The authorities are required to provide prisoners with soap (20 grams per day).1 Prisoners told the ECPM fact-finding mission that the authorities no longer distribute soap due to a lack of funding.2 Nowadays, hygiene products are supplied by relatives or NGOs.

  1. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 24. ↩

  2. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, p. 107. ↩

The prison service provides cleaning products free of charge

no

Cleaning products are brought by prisoners’ relatives and NGOs. Prison staff often lack cleaning products and equipment.1

  1. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 23. ↩

Beddings are refreshed

no

The prison service does not provide prisoners with adequate clothing. Organisations and prisoners’ relatives are left to fill in the shortfall.

Prisoners must take turns sweeping the cells and dormitories as well as other areas (Article 89 of the Internal Regulations of Prisons, Decree No. 1430).1
In 2013, prisoners complained about the unhygienic state of the cells. The cells were infested with insects.2

  1. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 24. ↩

  2. UN Committee against Torture, “Annual session report, 51st and 52nd sessions”, 2013-2014, § 24 p. 288. ↩

Food

Drinking water is free and available in all areas of the facilities

no

Civil society organisations have reported that drinking water is in short supply in prisons.1 In 2016, the UN Committee against Torture found that the water supply in these prisons is unsafe to drink. It is mainly used for personal hygiene and cleaning the facilities.2

  1. Civil Society Reports, “Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Third Round Lebanon“, 2020, p. 101. ↩

  2. UN Committee against Torture, “Consideration of reports submitted by States Parties under Article 19 of the Convention, Initial reports of States Parties due in 2001”, 14 April 2016, § 442 pp. 87. ↩

Number of meals per day

3

Prisoners and civil society organisations have complained about the amount of food supplied in prisons. Meals have been cut back from three to two per day, partly because of the socio-economic crisis in the country.

  • On 31 March 2021, Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) visited Roumieh prison. It discovered that the food was inedible. Prisoners were limited to two pieces of bread per day.

    i
    04/05/2022
    / National Human Right Commission including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) / Lebanon’s National CPT – Report to the UNSPT, p. 12

Food services are managed by

the prison administration

Meals are either prepared by a cook, like in Qobbeh Prison, or by the prisoners themselves, such as in Roumieh.1

  1. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, p. 106. ↩

  • The suppliers of food for prison facilities have threatened to suspend their supply at the end of September 2022 if their financial demands are not “seriously considered”.

    i
    12/09/2022
    / Icibeyrouth

  • Six companies that supply food items to the prisons of Roumieh, Zahlé and Tripoli, and to the Baabda women’s prison, have issued an ultimatum to the outgoing Minister of the Interior to claim the payment of balances due for seven months. The suppliers have threatened to “stop delivering sustenance to prisoners starting 1 September”.

    i
    25/08/2022
    / L’Orient-Le Jour

  • In March 2021, Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) noticed that large amounts of food supplies were donated to the prison by Dar Al Fatwah - a government institution responsible for issuing legal rulings specific to the Sunni community, administering religious schools, and overseeing mosques.

    i
    04/05/2022
    / National Human Right Commission including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) / Lebanon’s National CPT – Report to the UNSPT, p. 12

The prison service is required to meet nutritional standards regarding quality and quantity

yes

The prison administration is required to comply with the nutritional standards set out in the prison regulations (Article 77 of Decree No. 14130). The regulations specify the meal portions in grams and composition (meat, fruit, vegetables).1
Prisoners and civil society organisations have denounced the poor quality of the food. According to ECPM investigators, a prisoner in Roumieh stated that “the food isn’t clean, we have found stones in it before.“2 Other prisoners claimed that the food smelled like animal feed.
Meat, chicken, and dairy products are rarely served. In April 2021, prisoners in Roumieh reported that they usually eat half a bowl of lentils or bulgur a day. Apples are the only fruits served in the prison, and one apple is shared between two prisoners. Prisoners eat meat twice a month. Meals are served cold.

  1. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 26. ↩

  2. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, p. 90. ↩

  • The domestic security forces in charge of managing prisons can no longer provide prisoners with sufficient quantities of food. This failure is due to the economic crisis, which has triggered shortages of, for example, cheese, eggs and certain vegetables. Available quantities of meat, such as chicken, have also decreased. A typical assortment of fruits and vegetables delivered to prisoners once a week might include cabbage, onions, lettuce, lemons, garlic, potatoes, apples and oranges.

    i
    05/07/2022
    / Penal Reform International

  • The meals at Qobbeh Prison are lacking in both quality and quantity, significantly impacting the physical and mental health of the people imprisoned there, especially refugees and women.

    i
    05/07/2022
    / Penal Reform International

The prison service provides food that respects special dietary needs

yes

People whose diets are limited due to health reasons may be accommodated for with “medical diets”.1

  1. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, p. 106. ↩

Prisoners eat their meals in

  • their cell/dormitory
  • the prison yard

Meals are often served in large plastic containers, one for each cell. People divide the food in these containers and eat with their hands. No cutlery is provided.
Persons held in smaller institutions can eat their meals in the prison yard.

Prisoners can buy food products

yes

Food prices have been rising in Roumieh Prison since the start of the socio-economic crisis. Food has become more expensive in prison than it is on the outside. Prisoners can no longer afford to buy it.

  • Prisoners and their families are only allowed to purchase food products from one small store, which is located near Qobbeh prison and has a special arrangement with the prison service. The available products are limited, and the prices have doubled due to the economic crisis. However, this store is the prisoners’ primary method for ensuring they have enough food.

    i
    05/07/2022
    / Penal Reform International

Prisoners are allowed to cook in their cells or in a shared space

in some facilities

Prisoners in Roumieh are allowed to cook in their cells whereas persons held in Qobbeh are prohibited from cooking in their cells.1

  1. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, p. 106. ↩

Prisoners are allowed to receive food parcels

yes

Families are allowed to bring food to their incarcerated relatives.1 Prison regulations stipulate that “pre-trial prisoners are free to receive meals from outside, provided that they respect the prison regulations and the meal times set by the prison governor” (Article 81 of Decree No. 14310).2
Since the beginning of the health and socio-economic crisis, families have found it more difficult to visit their incarcerated relatives and bring them food and/or money.
Roumieh is the only prison in the country where food cannot be brought in from outside. This is done for so-called security reasons, namely to prevent the entry of prohibited products, including drugs.

  1. UN Committee against Torture, “Consideration of reports submitted by States Parties under Article 19 of the Convention, Initial reports of States Parties due in 2001”, 14 April 2016, § 442, p. 87. ↩

  2. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 25. ↩