‘Dire situation’: Lebanese prisoners on hunger strike for 18 days

The aesculapian information of dozens of prisoners has deteriorated arsenic inmates protestation against suspension of amnesty law.

The aesculapian information of dozens of inmates connected a hunger onslaught for much than 2 weeks wrong Lebanon’s largest situation has go “dire”, according to a ineligible campaigner.

“About 400 prisoners are connected a hunger onslaught for much than 2 weeks. Ambulances participate regular to instrumentality [dozens of] them distant due to the fact that their information is dire,” Mohammed Sablouh, a Lebanese lawyer, told Al Jazeera.

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“The prisoners are refusing medication, nutrient and water,” Sablouh, who is besides the manager of the Prisoners’ Rights Center astatine the Tripoli Bar Association, said connected Wednesday.

The inmates astatine Roumieh situation went connected a hunger onslaught connected September 12 successful protestation against the suspension of a wide amnesty law, which could person granted an contiguous merchandise oregon reduced their sentences.

Protests person besides been staged successful Lebanon’s 2nd metropolis of Tripoli against the suspension of the law, which has a proviso to merchandise inmates jailed for petty crimes.

Many of the prisoners connected hunger onslaught were arrested for their solidarity with the Syrian gyration against President Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled successful December 2024 aft much than 10 years of bloody war.

The Free Patriotic Movement, 1 of the country’s largest parties, filed an entreaty earlier the Constitutional Council implicit concerns that immoderate of the inmates were charged with “terrorism”.

The Constitutional Council is expected to contented its verdict adjacent month.

Overcrowded prisons

Lebanese prisons are notorious for being overcrowded and thousands of inmates walk years down bars without trial. Lebanon’s existent situation colonisation stands astatine astir 8,500, astir treble its capacity.

The instrumentality passed connected August 12 aimed to code overcrowded situation conditions successful the country.

“Prison overcrowding exceeds 330 percent of the facilities’ existent capacity,” Sablouh said.

“The concern successful Lebanon’s prisons is genuinely tragic, it tin nary longer withstand immoderate … daze oregon immoderate overturning of the amnesty law.”

More than 40 prisoners died successful 2025. “Some died owed to aesculapian neglect, others nether torture. Some died by termination owed to prolonged trials and repeated postponements,” Sablouh said.

The Lebanese lawyer blamed judicial delays for the ample fig of inmates, galore of them arrested for petty crimes.

He pointed retired the nonaccomplishment of the judiciary “to adhere to Article 108 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which sets a bounds for pre-trial detention: 2 months for misdemeanours, renewable for an adjacent period, and six months for felonies, renewable for an adjacent play [up to a maximum of 1 year].”