At least 190 people imprisoned for their participation in the Syrian revolution are living in Roumieh Prison, northeast of Beirut, in dire conditions after years of arbitrary detention without fair trials. They face severe overcrowding, inadequate or almost non-existent medical care, and limited access to legal representation.
Among these detainees is a young Syrian man, "A.B." hails from Krak des Chevaliers in the western Homs countryside. He has been inside the notorious prison for more than 10 years without a trial or any glimmer of hope for release, despite the fall of the Assad regime and the changing circumstances and climate.
The young man, who chose to use his first name for fear of being harassed by the security services inside the prison, had left his studies after obtaining his ninth-grade certificate to support his family. Following the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, he joined its ranks. Following the events that swept the region, he remained in his hometown of Krak des Chevaliers until his last breath, he told Zaman al-Wasl. He added that he fled to Lebanon in the last wave of displacement, joining his family who had already settled in Akkar. He began working in the freelance professions to secure a living. Prior to his arrest, he was subjected to harassment and persecution by the Hezbollah militia because he was a resident of Krak des Chevaliers, who opposed the ousted Assad regime.
Our interlocutor recounts that the Lebanese Army arrested him in 2015 and that he remains detained in Roumieh Prison with dozens of other Syrians. Over the past ten years, he has been brought before the first investigative judge only once, but he has not been tried. His fate or the charges against him are unknown.
He added that he spent three months in Lebanese security branches, during which he was subjected to the most severe forms of physical torture and psychological pressure. He was threatened with bringing his mother and sister if he did not sign baseless confessions. He noted that no detainee can remain silent; rather, he must fabricate a story and confess to it to stop the torture.
However, the biggest problem is the procrastination of trials, which "burns" the best years of his life and the lives of his fellow prisoners.
According to an Amnesty International report, the Lebanese authorities have failed to fulfill their obligations to respect the rights of Syrian refugees they have arrested and detained on allegations of terrorism, even though international law prohibits arrest, detention, or imprisonment without legal basis.
Roumieh Prison, northeast of Beirut, one of the country's largest prisons, was built to hold only 1,200 prisoners, but currently holds approximately 4,000. This has led to a lack of medical care, a serious deterioration in prison hygiene, and the daily suffering of prisoners exacerbated by overcrowding. Overcrowding rates range between 190 and 380%, while unsentenced prisoners constitute approximately 79% of the total prison population.
According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, the majority of Syrian prisoners in Lebanon suffer from inhumane living conditions, including severe overcrowding in cells, ill-treatment, and a lack of basic services and medical care. Therefore, these prisons do not meet minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners.
Some detainees, particularly those held on terrorism-related charges, are subjected to ill-treatment or even torture. This constitutes a serious violation of domestic laws and Lebanon's international obligations, which protect the right to personal liberty, the right not to be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention, the right to a fair trial, and the right not to be subjected to torture and ill-treatment.
Fares Al-Rifai - Zaman Al-Wasl
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