'Mysterious Virus' Threatens Lebanese Prisons

Roumieh prison (AP)
Roumieh prison (AP)
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'Mysterious Virus' Threatens Lebanese Prisons

Roumieh prison (AP)
Roumieh prison (AP)

The Lebanese government asked the Ministry of Interior to “conduct an immediate and urgent investigation” into allegations that prisoners died due to an “emerging health condition” in Roumieh Central Prison.

Recent reports discussed the reason behind several deaths in the overcrowded central prison, the largest in Lebanon.

A security source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat the death of two prisoners in recent days, one of whom had been staying at al-Hayat Hospital for a month. The second died inside the prison after a cardiac arrest.

The source pointed out that the prison administration has reviewed the death cases over the years, noting that drug abuse and overdose could be the cause.

He noted that prisoners and detainees could obtain contraband, especially drugs, and it is difficult now to conduct searches and confiscation in prison cells.

According to the source, any search could lead to rebellion and chaos, making it difficult to control, adding that prisoners are waiting for the opportunity to create chaos.

A delegation of the families of the prison detainees visited the headquarters of the government, where they met the Secretary-General, Judge Mahmoud Makkieh.

They discussed issues related to the conditions of detainees and convicts in prisons, especially what is reported about a new health situation in Roumieh, which resulted in the death of several prisoners.

Following the meeting, Makkieh sent a letter to the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Bassam Mawlawi, to conduct an immediate and urgent investigation into this matter and take the necessary measures to address the issue, if it is correct, as soon as possible.

A source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the families of the prisoners informed the Sec-Gen that a virus has spread in prisons, which led to the death of two prisoners a few days ago and a third on Friday.

The source stressed that the Ministry is now responsible for taking urgent measures, verifying the alleged facts, and determining the causes of the three deaths.

Lebanese prisons are overcrowded, given that the number of inmates is threefold their capacity.

Lebanon has 25 prisons, with 6,989 prisoners, 5,391 of whom are in Roumieh Central Prison, and about 40 percent of prisoners are not nationals.

Several officials and activists demand speeding up the issuance of sentences to alleviate the crisis of overcrowding in prisons.

Between the summer of 2021 and the summer of 2022, the Internal Security Forces was assigned with 250,000 transfer cases to courts, 60 percent of which were carried out. The remaining cases were not conducted due to the coronavirus pandemic, roadblocks, judges’ strikes, and lack of finances.



Members of UN Security Council Call for Surge in Assistance to Gaza

 Palestinian man Moein Abu Odeh searches for clothes through the rubble of a house destroyed in the Israeli military offensive, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinian man Moein Abu Odeh searches for clothes through the rubble of a house destroyed in the Israeli military offensive, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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Members of UN Security Council Call for Surge in Assistance to Gaza

 Palestinian man Moein Abu Odeh searches for clothes through the rubble of a house destroyed in the Israeli military offensive, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinian man Moein Abu Odeh searches for clothes through the rubble of a house destroyed in the Israeli military offensive, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, November 18, 2024. (Reuters)

Members of the United Nations Security Council called on Monday for a surge in assistance to reach people in need in Gaza, warning that the situation in the Palestinian enclave was getting worse.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there needs to be a "huge, huge rise in aid" to Gaza, where most of the population of 2.3 million people has been displaced and the enclave's health officials say more than 43,922 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive.

"The situation is devastating, and frankly, beyond comprehension, and it's getting worse, not better. Winter's here. Famine is imminent, and 400 days into this war, it is totally unacceptable that it's harder than ever to get aid into Gaza," Lammy said.

Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel in October last year, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council that Washington was closely watching Israel's actions to improve the situation for Palestinians and engaging with the Israeli government every day.

"Israel must also urgently take additional steps to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza," she said.

President Joe Biden's administration concluded this month that Israel was not currently impeding assistance to Gaza and therefore not violating US law, even as Washington acknowledged the humanitarian situation remained dire in the Palestinian enclave.

The assessment came after the US in an Oct. 13 letter gave Israel a list of steps to take within 30 days to address the worsening situation in Gaza, warning that failure to do so may have possible consequences on US military aid to Israel.

Thomas-Greenfield said Israel was working to implement 12 of the 15 steps.

"We need to see all steps fully implemented and sustained, and we need to see concrete improvement in the humanitarian situation on the ground," she said, including Israel allowing commercial trucks to move into Gaza alongside humanitarian assistance, addressing persistent lawlessness and implementing pauses in fighting in large areas of Gaza to allow assistance to reach those in need.

Tor Wennesland, the UN coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said humanitarian agencies face a challenging and dangerous operational environment in Gaza and access restrictions that hinder their work.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza, as winter begins, is catastrophic, particularly developments in the north of Gaza with a large-scale and near-total displacement of the population and widespread destruction and clearing of land, amidst what looks like a disturbing disregard for international humanitarian law," Wennesland said.

"The current conditions are among the worst we’ve seen during the entire war and are not set to improve," he said.