Famine Threatens Prisoners in Lebanon

Families of prisoners in Lebanon hold sit-in Friday in front of the Interior Ministry (NNA)
Families of prisoners in Lebanon hold sit-in Friday in front of the Interior Ministry (NNA)
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Famine Threatens Prisoners in Lebanon

Families of prisoners in Lebanon hold sit-in Friday in front of the Interior Ministry (NNA)
Families of prisoners in Lebanon hold sit-in Friday in front of the Interior Ministry (NNA)

Families of prisoners in Lebanon staged on Friday a sit-in in front of the Interior Ministry, to demand the approval of the general amnesty bill and the speeding up of trials, in addition to solving the problem of overcrowding in prisons and the shortage of meals.

Lebanon’s National News Agency said security forces closed the road in front of the Ministry and diverted traffic to other routes.

The families called on caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmy to find a comprehensive solution to the problems of prisoners and prisons.

They explained that their children suffer from famine in overcrowded prisons, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Lebanon has 25 prisons with 6,989 detainees, 5,391 of whom are in Roumieh Central Prison and other prisons, while the remaining 1,598 are in the justice palaces and ISF detention centers, according to recent figures.

During the sit-in, Damar Al-Miqdad, head of the Association of Committees for the Families of Detainees in Lebanese Prisons, called on the approval of a general amnesty for inmates amid the pandemic, particularly as the State remains unable to feed them.

“If you are incapable to offer prisoners food meals then why not release them or speed up their trials,” Miqdad said.

Lebanon's economic crisis has recently affected prisons where detainees and their families warn of a possible "famine" if the quantities of the food they receive continue to decline, particularly poultry and meat.

Two weeks ago, the prisoners of Block B in Roumieh Central Prison issued a statement regarding their condition, saying they are suffering from high prices at the prison’s store, and the state’s financial crisis that has become unable to secure their food.

The statement, circulated by the Lebanese Observatory for Prisoners' Rights, indicated that quantities have been reduced to quarter and hospitals are refusing to receive sick inmates after the government failed to pay their dues. Lebanon’s Prosecutor General had also asked the Directorate General of Internal Security Forces to quickly prepare a detailed report about circulated news concerning a possible famine in prisons and the high prices at the prisons’ stores.



Syria’s Finance Minister Says Foreign Investors Welcome after US Sanctions Move

A girl holds a Syrian flag, as people celebrate after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria, in Damascus, Syria May 13 , 2025. (Reuters)
A girl holds a Syrian flag, as people celebrate after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria, in Damascus, Syria May 13 , 2025. (Reuters)
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Syria’s Finance Minister Says Foreign Investors Welcome after US Sanctions Move

A girl holds a Syrian flag, as people celebrate after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria, in Damascus, Syria May 13 , 2025. (Reuters)
A girl holds a Syrian flag, as people celebrate after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would order the lifting of sanctions on Syria, in Damascus, Syria May 13 , 2025. (Reuters)

Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh made a call to global investors on Wednesday to come do business with Syria after US President Donald Trump's surprise announcement that he would lift all of Washington's sanctions on the country.

"Syria today is a land of opportunities, with immense potential across every sector—from agriculture to oil, tourism, infrastructure, and transportation,” Barnieh said in an interview with Reuters at the Finance Ministry in Damascus.

"We envision a central role for the private sector in the new Syrian economy. The finance ministry's role is not to spend indiscriminately or act as a regulatory enforcer over businesses, but rather to enable and support growth."

A wall outside his office still bore the discolored outline of one of the many posters of former strongman Bashar al-Assad that used to hang in Syria's public buildings before his ousting by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) last year.

Changes in Syria have been swift since Assad fled to Russia in December of last year.

HTS commander Ahmed Sharaa was appointed president, formed a government and had quick success garnering Gulf Arab support and getting most European sanctions lifted.

The stunning turn of events was capped by a meeting between Sharaa and Trump in Riyadh on Wednesday after Trump's pledge to cease US sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad-family rule, measures widely seen as the biggest external obstacles to the country's economic recovery.

Trump has not set out a timeline for removal.

"One of the most critical outcomes of lifting sanctions would be Syria's reintegration into the global financial system," Barnieh said.

"This would allow us to restore financial flows and attract investments, which are urgently needed across all sectors,” he said, adding that Syrian authorities have already seen strong interest from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and several EU countries, among others.

He noted that the government is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of public financial management, including reforms to the tax system, customs, and banking -- part of a broader effort to modernize an economy long burdened by an oversized public sector.

He also struck a cautioning tone, saying that the removal of sanctions would be just the first step in a years-long recovery for a country ruined by 14 years of war.

"The lifting of sanctions is not the final chapter," he said.

"We cannot afford to become complacent. We are entering a new phase that demands real results and visible progress on the ground."