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Lebanon
Capital city — Beirut
Incarceration rate (per 100,000 inhabit…
i10/2023Country population
Type of government
Human Development Index
0.744(92/188)
iHomicide rate (per 100,000 inhabitants)
iName of authority in charge of the pris…
Ministry of Internal AffairsA decree on 28 Au…
Total number of prisoners
i10/2023Prison density
194.4 %In August 2023, R…
i10/2023Total number of prison facilities
i2022An NPM has been established
yesSeveral proposals…
Female prisoners
i08/2022Incarcerated minors
i10/2022Percentage of untried prisoners
i08/2023Death penalty is abolished
noThe death penalty…
Health
Organisation of health care
Ministry in charge
Ministry of Internal Affairs
The Ministry of Internal Affairs appointed the doctors responsible for prison care after consulting the Ministry of Health (Article 52 of Decree No. 14310).1
The budget allocated by the Ministry of the Interior for the health of prisoners dropped from 7.3 million US dollars in 2019 to 628,000 US dollars in 2022.
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, § 410-411, p. 78. ↩
Number of medical staff (FTE)
-
Civil society organisations have expressed concern about the lack of medical staff in prisons. They have reported problems with paying doctors’ salaries. Many healthcare workers are “fleeing” the country, mainly due to the socio-economic situation.
In 2016, the UN Committee against Torture found that the medical services in Lebanese prisons and detention facilities did not meet the standards set out in the prison regulations. There is a lack of general practitioners, specialists (psychologists, psychiatrists, dentists), and medication for prisoners. Medical visits are infrequent, and the medical services do not meet all the prisoners’ needs.
The Committee stated that the team responsible for medical care includes:
- a doctor, stationed in prison thrice a week and responsible for treating both prisoners and members of the Internal Security Forces (FSI);
- a surgeon, available once a week;
- an ENT specialist, available once a week;
- a dentist, available once a week, and who only offers a “tooth-pulling” service.
The Committee has expressed concern about the lack of specialist doctors. Procedures for accessing consultations are slow, even when there is a medical emergency. Consultations with psychiatrists are not held on a regular basis. Civil society organisations are working to compensate for these shortages. Prisons under the Ministry of Defence are said to have better medical services. Prisoners receive a medical examination upon entry to prison and a visit from a psychiatrist twice a week if required. A dermatologist is reportedly present throughout the week. In cases of emergency, necessary medication and treatment would be provided.[^defense].
The Minister of the Interior launched the second phase of a project to reinforce the prison health system and access to care. This project was developed in collaboration with the Norwegian embassy and the World Health Organisation. It includes equipping healthcare units in prisons with basic materials and medical supplies.
Access to health care
Health care is free
The law guarantees the right to receive healthcare, including dental care.1 The prison authorities require families to pay for the medical care of their relatives, including in cases where emergency medical treatment was necessary.
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.2
Together against the Death Penalty, Carole Berrih and Karim El Mufti, “Living Without Being: Fact-Finding Mission, Lebanon”, 2020, p. 91. ↩
National Human Right Commission including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT) / Lebanon’s National CPT – Report to the UNSPT, 2022, p. 12 ↩
A medical examination is performed upon admission
Medical examinations are carried out on a confidential basis
no
Medical confidentiality is not always respected.
In 2016, the UN Committee against Torture reported a significant shortage of medication: painkillers, treatments for urological diseases, treatments for high cholesterol, etc. The Committee also noted shortages of medical supplies such as sterile gauze. It highlighted the authorities’ reliance on civil society organisations to make up for these shortcomings.1
Since 2019, the socio-economic crisis in Lebanon has been causing a shortage of medicines throughout the country, including in prisons. Prisoners often receive lower doses than what is prescribed to them.
Prisoners at Roumieh prison with chronic illnesses have signalled that they must present a new prescription every month to receive their medication. This requirement is effectively a barrier to necessary treatment for the prisoners due to the insufficient number of doctors available. The pharmacy in this facility is virtually empty. It rarely has first aid supplies.
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, § 410-411, p. 86. ↩
Observers reported that prisoners are transferred to hospitals in the event of an emergency. Since the beginning of the economic crisis, the government has failed to pay hospitals for the treatment of people in detention. The cost of transferring prisoners has reportedly been covered by the affected prisoner’s relatives. Numerous hospitals have therefore refused to admit patients from prison or demand payment in advance, even in cases of emergency. According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, 846 prisoners were hospitalised in 2018, compared with only 107 in 2022.
Prisoners may only be hospitalised after 5 p.m., when cells are closed, if permission is granted by a public prosecutor. Whether or not emergency cases can be handled in the evening or at night depends on the aforementioned permission, and “on the prison staff’s goodwill, professionalism and skills in assessing the urgency of the situation”.1
Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, “Prisons in Lebanon: Humanitarian and Legal Concerns”, 2010, p. 30. ↩
Physical health care
HIV testing is often mandatory upon arrival in prison. The methods used do not follow the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations. The WHO recommends systematic screening of prisoners with their informed consent and a sharing of results.
Little information on HIV/AIDS is provided to prisoners. No psychological support is available. Isolation and increased stigma, combined with imprisonment, have an adverse effect on the mental and social well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS. Their freedom of movement and contact with other prisoners, family, and friends is restricted.1 They are held in the so-called “blue building” in Roumieh which is reserved for people with mental health problems. In this facility, they do not receive the periodic medical examinations necessary to combat the illness. The correctional facility does not have a doctor on site. Checkups are performed every two months.
The authorities provide HIV/AIDS treatment for Lebanese prisoners. Foreign prisoners, who are not covered by the Lebanese health system, do not receive such treatment. Instead, they rely on the assistance of third-party organisations (UN agencies, International Committee of the Red Cross) for treatment.
SAHARA-J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS Prisoners: A Case Study on Quality of Life in Roumieh, Lebanon“, 2012, pp. 3-8. ↩
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
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. ↩
Between June 2011 and February 2012, an NGO ran an awareness campaign on risk prevention for prisoners in collaboration with the National AIDS Programme (NAP), the FSIs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and others. The campaign focused on prevention and early diagnosis of HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, as well as diagnosis and treatment for other sexually transmitted diseases. The initiative also included a two-day training course for 35 FSI staff (prison governors, medical directors, supervisors).1
Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, “National Report on Drug Situation in Lebanon”, 2017, p. 38. ↩
Mental health care
Roumieh Prison is the only facility with a specific unit for people with psychiatric disorders, known as the “blue building”. This unit was set up in 2002 on the initiative of the family of a prisoner who suffered from mental disorders.1 The blue building is considered more modern than the prison’s other premises. Hygiene conditions are better, and doors are kept open. Prisoners with HIV/AIDS are also housed there.
A doctor visits the prisoners in this building once every two months. Every year, a judge is required to send a psychiatrist to assess the prisoners’ health and “estimate their recovery”. The building was considered to be inadequately equipped and unsuitable for the care of mentally ill prisoners.2 In 2016, it was renovated thanks to donations from an Italian cooperative and UNODC. The unit does not have a medical centre, and psychiatric care is not available.
Prisoners who have committed offences due to mental disorders, incarcerated in this unit, are sentenced to life imprisonment: they can never be released, on the grounds that they represent a danger to society because these disorders cannot be healed. Prisoners with mental health problems not acknowledged by a judge are not subject to specific placement.
In 2016, Dany Khalaf, a psychiatrist at the Association Justice and Mercy (Association Justice et Miséricorde, AJEM), summed up the situation: “I am the only psychiatrist here in Roumieh where 300 out of 3,500 prisoners suffer from mental disorders. Every week, I visit a different prison unit. Roumieh is nowhere near the worst case. In other prisons in the country, there is no specialised psychiatric department […] At the moment, a judge is supposed to appoint a psychiatrist who should visit the prisoners annually to assess whether ‘they are cured yet’. But mental illnesses cannot be cured. [They can be stabilised] with medication. Unfortunately, some judges refuse to appoint a specialist and have backward views on mental illness.”
Catharsis, “Mental Health in Lebanese Prisons: Prevalence Study of Severe Mental Illness Among Inmates in Roumieh and Baabda Prisons”, 2015, pp. 4-5. ↩
Ibid., p. 20. ↩
Judges are required to ask individuals arrested for drug use to choose between treatment and incarceration (Act 673 of 1998). Those who choose treatment are monitored by a Drug Addiction Committee (DAC) under the Ministry of Justice.1
Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, “National Report on Drug Situation in Lebanon”, 2017, p. 39. ↩