عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Lebanon’s Rioting Inmates Call for General Amnesty Law

A video grab of prisoners carrying out mock hangings at Roumieh prison, east of Beirut. Asharq Al-Awsat
A video grab of prisoners carrying out mock hangings at Roumieh prison, east of Beirut. Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

Lebanon’s Rioting Inmates Call for General Amnesty Law

A video grab of prisoners carrying out mock hangings at Roumieh prison, east of Beirut. Asharq Al-Awsat
A video grab of prisoners carrying out mock hangings at Roumieh prison, east of Beirut. Asharq Al-Awsat

Riots at Roumieh prison, east of Beirut, renewed on Thursday to pressure the Lebanese parliament to adopt a general amnesty law and slash the prison year from 9 to 6 months.

The rioting began on Wednesday night and continued till noon Thursday in an attempt by prisoners to pressure the parliament that was in session. Some of them even carried out mock hangings.

However, lawmakers failed to adopt the draft-law and referred it to parliamentary committees “for further review and amendments.”

Asharq Al-Awsat spoke by phone with some of the inmates. One of them said that the prisoners suspended their rioting “to avoid a confrontation with the guards ... who are not the reason behind our suffering.”

“The prisoners had received promises that the general amnesty draft-law would be adopted during Thursday’s session. However, unfortunately, the draft-law was referred to the committees, which are the graveyard for laws.”

“We don’t want to resort to escalation so that we don’t get into a confrontation with security forces and we don’t harm ourselves,” the prisoner added.

Lebanon suffers from overcrowded prisons where inmates, who live in poor conditions, demand better treatment and speedier trials.

Roumieh prison houses more than 4,000 prisoners, around three times its intended capacity, and has long been infamous for the poor conditions in some of its blocks.

A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the rioting on Wednesday and Thursday was limited to block B of the prison, where Islamist inmates are incarcerated. The source said that some of the block’s gates were broken down but there were no confrontations between the protesters and the security forces tasked with guarding the prison.

When the prisoners were informed about the draft-law’s referral to the parliamentary committees for further discussion, they issued a statement accusing “the parliament of once again disregarding the voice of conscience and humanity.”

They called for “exceptional measures” to resolve the problem of overcrowded prisons that have suffered from “injustices in arrests and trials.”

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Israeli Military Warns of Imminent Strikes on South Lebanon

Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Israeli Military Warns of Imminent Strikes on South Lebanon

Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, June 12, 2026. (Reuters)

The Israeli military on Saturday warned of imminent strikes on south Lebanon, telling residents of 20 towns and villages including many near Nabatieh city to evacuate despite a ceasefire in its war with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, according to AFP.

"For your safety, you should evacuate your homes immediately and move to the north of the Zahrani River," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X.

"Anyone who is in the vicinity of Hezbollah installations or means of warfare is endangering their lives," he added, accusing the movement of violating the truce.

Arab World

Sharaa: Syria Seeks to Stop Lebanon War, Not Join It

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (SANA)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (SANA)
TT
TT

Sharaa: Syria Seeks to Stop Lebanon War, Not Join It

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (SANA)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (SANA)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has moved to quell renewed speculation that Syria could become involved in the war in Lebanon, saying reports that Damascus intends to intervene militarily are “mere rumors.”

Sharaa said Syria’s position at this stage was based on “seeking to stop the war in Lebanon, not becoming involved in it.”

His remarks came during a meeting with a delegation from the Damascus countryside. He said demarcating the Syrian-Lebanese border was “not currently a priority” given more urgent files, foremost among them the case of about 1.4 million displaced Syrians in Lebanon and efforts to find a suitable mechanism to ensure their return.

US President Donald Trump had recently reaffirmed Washington’s goal of delivering a strong blow to Hezbollah. According to him, Israel has done what is necessary in the south, but there is still much left to eliminate Hezbollah. He then hinted at possibly having to ask Syria’s involvement.

Trump’s remarks prompted a wave of interpretations, amid reports of a possible visit by Sharaa to Washington. The Syrian presidency denied those reports.

Sources in Damascus told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US remarks were “a form of reshuffling the cards” and fell within “the framework of negotiating statements and sending messages to Iran.”

The sources said, “So far, there has been no official US request to Damascus related to any form of Syrian military intervention in Lebanon.” They said Tom Barrack, Trump’s envoy to Syria and Iraq and Washington’s ambassador in Ankara, had previously asked Damascus “to take a clear, explicit and serious position against Hezbollah.”

The sources said Damascus believes it already has such a position, reflected in border control, cutting smuggling routes and high-level coordination with the Lebanese government.

They added that “entering the quagmire of war and sending military forces unilaterally is completely ruled out,” and that it was “very, very early” to discuss the possibility of Syrian forces entering Lebanon in support of the Lebanese army.

Brigadier General Hassan Abdul Ghani, commander of the Border Guard Forces in the Syrian Arab Army, met last Thursday with a Lebanese army delegation headed by liaison official Brigadier General Michel Boutros, in the presence of several officers.

The talks focused on issues of mutual concern, mainly “enhancing cooperation and coordination between the two sides in border control and combating smuggling activities, in a way that contributes to strengthening border security between the two countries.”

At the same time, Syria’s Interior Ministry said “Lebanon is a sovereign state and not a backyard, as the former regime viewed it,” stressing that “coordination with Lebanon is the basic pillar for any assistance Syria provides to Lebanon.”

Sharaa had expressed Syria’s readiness to provide Lebanon with whatever support and assistance it can, within available capabilities and circumstances, when he received former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Damascus on the ninth of this month.

Media reports said Sharaa told Mikati that “Lebanon’s stability and security constitute a direct Syrian interest,” and that Damascus was keen to build the best relations with the Lebanese state on the basis of mutual respect, good neighborliness and non-interference in internal affairs.

The meeting between Sharaa and Mikati, which lasted for hours, discussed the state of bilateral relations between Damascus and Beirut and prospects for developing them in the next stage, along with several economic and investment files of mutual interest, in light of the transformations taking place in the region.

 

 

 

 

Arab World

Palestinian, Israeli Civil Society Groups Meet in France as Two-State Hopes Dim

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks during a conference with Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups supporting a two-state solution in Paris, France, 12 June 2026. (EPA)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks during a conference with Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups supporting a two-state solution in Paris, France, 12 June 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

Palestinian, Israeli Civil Society Groups Meet in France as Two-State Hopes Dim

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks during a conference with Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups supporting a two-state solution in Paris, France, 12 June 2026. (EPA)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks during a conference with Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups supporting a two-state solution in Paris, France, 12 June 2026. (EPA)

Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups delivered an appeal in France on Friday to urge the international community not to abandon a two-state solution, as Paris seeks to keep the issue alive amid the Middle East war.

The meeting brought together foreign ministers and senior officials from dozens of countries alongside civil society groups. It marks one year since the UN-backed New York Declaration, which set out a roadmap toward Palestinian statehood and prompted around a dozen countries, including France, Britain and Canada, to recognize ‌a Palestinian state.

"We ‌could find every reason in the world to give up. ‌But ⁠you are here! Your ⁠testimonies alone are grounds for hope and action," France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told 250 civil society representatives from both sides.

"France refuses to let the side of war prevail over the side of peace."

The gathering ended with an eight-point “Call for Action” urging a permanent ceasefire, a halt to settlements, Gaza reconstruction, governance reforms and stronger international backing for civil society.

It will be delivered to the G7 leaders who meet in the French Alps from Monday.

"The region continues to fracture. Gaza is devastated, Israel remains ⁠under threat. Settler terrorism, settlement expansion, and de facto annexation and ‌threats to the Palestinian Authority continue to undermine the viability ‌of a future Palestinian state," according to the action plan.

"Israelis and Palestinians alike remain trapped in fear, insecurity, ‌and trauma. We return because, as the G7 convenes in Evian, this conflict risks once ‌again being set aside. The window for a solution remains open; but it is narrowing."

ANGER IN WEST OVER SETTLER VIOLENCE

The conference comes amid escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and underscores anger in many Western countries toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has expanded settlements.

Diplomats say ‌that expansion is aimed at undermining prospects for a Palestinian state.

A key concern is Israel’s plan to build a settlement east of Jerusalem, ⁠known as the E1 ⁠project, which would bisect the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, fragmenting territory Palestinians seek for an independent state.

"The two-state solution remains the only viable path to bringing lasting peace to the Middle East," European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. "The situation in the West Bank is equally alarming. Illegal Israeli settlements continue to expand at an unprecedented pace, and settler violence is increasing without sufficient accountability."

Britain, Canada, France and Norway announced new coordinated sanctions on Tuesday against Israeli networks involved in financing, enabling and carrying out violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel and the United States declined to attend the meeting in Paris.

"The ambassador was invited but will not attend the conference, as it has nothing to do with promoting peace," the Israeli embassy said in a statement.

"France cannot act as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians. Regarding the two-state solution, the ambassador recalls that the Palestinians have rejected proposals to establish a Palestinian state on five occasions."