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Lebanon

Capital city — Beirut

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Panorama

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There are allegations of torture, violence, and ill-treatment. In 2014, the UN Committee against Torture found reports of corporal punishment by prison staff. It also noted “very harsh detention conditions in disciplinary cells”. Prisoners denounced the use of torture during interrogations and arrests. The Committee considered that “torture is and has been systematically practised in Lebanon, particularly in the context of investigations and to obtain confessions”. Allegations of torture reported to the examining magistrate were not investigated. Prisoners claimed that they did not have access to a lawyer during their interrogation. The presence of a lawyer would discourage the commission of acts of torture. Very few prisoners are aware that they can request medical examinations. At Baabda Women’s Prison, medical examinations revealed clear signs of torture, including sexual violence and electric shocks to the feet. In the same report, the Committee noted a “widespread and manifest practice of torture and ill-treatment of suspects in detention, including persons arrested for crimes against State security and other serious offences, as well as foreigners, particularly Syrians and Palestinians, and individuals apprehended in police operations, notably low-income persons arrested for petty crime”.1 In 2020, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the UN Human Rights Committee found that Hassan Al-Dika was tortured while in the custody of the FSI General Directorate and then again during his two weeks in Roumieh Prison. No investigation into these acts of torture was launched following their report. Mr Al-Dika was refused surgery. He died a month later. In its 2019 report, the CLDH stated that torture is still a “common practice” in detention. It is reportedly carried out by members of the FSI.2 Human Rights Watch reported cases of arbitrary detention and torture committed against 35 persons, including two minors, in 2021. In March 2021, Amnesty International denounced the use of torture against 26 Syrian prisoners, including four minors, who were suspected of terrorism.

  1. UN Committee against Torture, “Annual session report, 51st and 52nd sessions“, 2013-2014, pp. 287-289. ↩

  2. Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 5. ↩

  • Lawyer Rami Oleik accused guards at Baabda prison of torture and human rights violations, including towards children. An 11-year-old child allegedly had cigarette burns. Walls had been stained with blood during the suppression of riots. Following these events, some prisoners reportedly had fractures that resulted in permanent disabilities. An inquiry to ascertain the veracity of these accusations is ongoing.

    i
    09/11/2022
    / Libnanews

Daily cost of meals per prisoner

-

Number of deaths in custody

30

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ECPM, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, "Living without being: fact-finding mission, Lebanon", 2020, pp. 95-96.

The reporters of the Together against the Death Penalty’s (Ensemble contre la peine de mort, ECPM) fact-finding mission reported over 30 deaths between 2018 and 2019. One prisoner died of an overdose and another committed suicide. According to the authorities, the majority of deaths were due to natural causes.

  • Three prisoners died in September 2022 at the Roumieh prison facility. Their relatives spoke out against the State’s failure to provide for the basic needs of prisoners, especially in terms of medication and food. The Minister of the Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, stated that the country’s prisons are experiencing sharp declines in medical and hospital services.

    i
    12/09/2022
    / Icibeyrouth

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

Number of escapes

69

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2020
/ RFI

  • Domestic security forces announced that 31 prisoners escaped from the detention centre in the Adlieh district of Beirut. The prisoners left the facility by sawing through a window. An investigation was launched immediately in order to return them to custody.

    i
    08/08/2022
    / Dawn

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

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

Overcrowding is an issue for specific types of prison facilities

yes

Roumieh Prison is the most overcrowded in Lebanon. Its official capacity is 1,000 people. In 2020, there were 3,460 prisoners1.

  1. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon“, 2020, p. 95. ↩

  • Qobbeh Prison is particularly affected by overcrowding due to the length of pre-trial proceedings. The prison has a capacity of 320, but the number of prisoners has sometimes reached over 1,000. In July 2022, the number of prisoners at Qobbeh was estimated at 838, including 67 women. 88% of these prisoners are in remand detention.

    i
    05/07/2022
    / Penal Reform International

A 2012 study reported that HIV-positive prisoners are subjected to discriminatory prevention measures. They are segregated from other prisoners and have separate access to common areas (bathroom, kitchen, cells). They are not allowed to participate in activities. Their consent is disregarded when implementing these measures.1

  1. SAHARA-J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS Prisoners: A Case Study on Quality of Life in Roumieh, Lebanon“, 2012, pp. 4-8. ↩

  • In March 2021, prisoners in Block B of Roumieh Prison informed Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) of a scabies outbreak. According to the prisoners, it was caused by rats in the block’s water tanks.

    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

Health care is free

yes

The law guarantees the right to receive healthcare, including dental care.1

  1. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, p. 91. ↩

  • On 31 March 2021, Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) visited Roumieh prison. It discovered that some prisoners were forced to pay their own medical fees, particularly those who needed to be operated on.

    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

Some prison facilities, units or cells implement high-security measures

yes

  • During a visit on 29 April 2022, Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) noticed that surveillance cameras were located inside cells in Rihanieh’s Military Police Prison. The authorities explained that the cameras were there for security reasons and that it was common practice in military prisons.

    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, pp. 13-15

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

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

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

In 2016, foreign prisoners were mainly Syrian (27%), Palestinian (6.3%), Egyptian (0.5%) and Sudanese (0.2%).1 The war in Syria caused many Syrian nationals to come to Lebanon. Most of them (73%) do not have legal residence and have settled in so-called wilderness camps. This has resulted in arrests and convictions of Syrians for “abuses and disturbances of public order”. Amnesty International has also reported that hundreds of Syrian nationals have been arbitrarily arrested since 2011 for alleged terrorism or affiliation with armed groups.

  1. Caritas Lebanon, European Research Institute, “Access to legal aid services in Lebanese prisons“, 4 mars 2017, p. 13. ↩

  • Multiple sources, including victims, reported to the Lebanese Centre for Human Rights (Centre libanais pour les droits humains, CLDH) that the Dekwaneh Municipality had committed raids and arbitrary detention against Syrians and their families, some of whom were registered at the UN Refugee Agency, and residing on Lebanese territory, including Dekwaneh. Victims were detained in the Municipality’s police station, where their documents (IDs, residency papers and other legal documents) were confiscated. Detainees were pressured to sign an illegal pledge to return to their country in exchange for their confiscated papers.

    i
    08/06/2022
    / Lebanese center for Human Rights (Centre libanais pour les droits humains, CLDH)

The Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture (SPT) has visited the country

yes

An SPT delegation visited the country from 24 May to 2 June 2010.

  • From 4 to 10 May 2022, a Delegation of the UN Subcommitee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) visited places of deprivation of liberty. The main objective of the visit was to assess the country’s implementation of the recommendations it had made following an initial visit in 2010.

    i
    12/05/2022
    / United Nations Human Rights Office

The NPM reports are made public

-

  • On 4 May 2022, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC-CPT) published a report with its findings from visits to five civilian and military prisons between 2020 and 2022.

    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

The NPM has come into office

yes, in 2019

The NPM does not appear to be operational. In 2019, five people were appointed as members of the NPM. They found themselves with no funding and no official recognition of their functions.1

  1. Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, p. 115. ↩

  • In 2019, five people were appointed as members of Lebanon’s independent National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). One of the members never participated in the NPM’s activities. Another member suspended their membership; this left the NPM with only three active members.

    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. 2

Prisoners file complaints against the prison service.

  • On 29 April 2022, Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) visited the Military Police Prison in Rihanieh. It noted the presence of a box where prisoners could submit complaints against officers, as well as a template questionnaire that prisoners could fill in.

    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. 14

All allegations and suspicions of ill-treatment inflicted on prisoners are logged

no

  • According to Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC- CPT), the Lebanese judicial authorities would still fail to investigate serious torture allegations made by victims. Adopted 5 years before, the procedures in Lebanon’s Anti-Torture Law no. 65/2017 were intended to provide accountability for the crime of torture. And yet at least 18 cases where authorities failed to follow the law had been recorded by the CPT.

    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. 19

Prisoners have access to a legal aid centre

-

  • On 29 April 2022, Lebanon’s National Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) visited the Military Police Prison in Rihanieh. Signboards in Arabic outlining the rights of detainees had been placed in the prison.

    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. 14

Observers report that there are no formal criteria for cell assignment. The person’s legal status, type of offence committed, or any special needs are reportedly not considered. People are generally mixed.

  • Prisoners are reportedly assigned to cells based on their faith. A prisoner explains, “When I arrived, they looked at my papers and put me with the Shiites. That’s how it works. Christian? Go over there. Sunni, over there; Shiite, over there”. He also noted that prisoners must “buy their spot”: otherwise, they sleep on the floor outside of the cells.

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    04/01/2022
    / TRT World