Illustrative photo AFP
The anti-riot brigade of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) intervened Saturday evening at Roumieh Prison, the largest in Lebanon, where the anger of many inmates was rumbling after the death of a prisoner, O.T., reported a security source and another close to the inhabitants of the village of Arsal, where the deceased inmate was from, to L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent in the Bekaa. A second security source affirmed that several guards had been temporarily taken hostage by the prisoners.
Tensions spread to Block B of the prison, where detainees linked to Islamist affairs are held, and where O.T. was imprisoned. According to a security source contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, the death of the detainee provoked a “strong reaction” within Block B. Members of the security forces – an officer and four police officers – were held hostage before being released following negotiations and the intervention of the riot squad. “This Sunday morning, calm has returned,” the source said.
According to L'Orient-Le Jour's correspondent, the prisoners hold the prison administration responsible for the death of O.T. who allegedly died of a heart attack and was not directly treated by the prison doctor. His transfer to the hospital was reportedly delayed, which led to the deterioration of his condition and his death.
Regarding the prisoners' accusations of delay: "They say the same thing every time someone dies. He was indeed transferred to the hospital, where he died," the security source said.
Roumieh Prison, with a capacity of 1,050 prisoners, is overcrowded. According to the report of the prisons commission of the Beirut Bar Association, 3,619 people are languishing there, an occupancy rate of 360 percent. Roumieh, in the Metn district, where detention conditions are highly criticized, is often the scene of riots. Last June, an ISF member was taken hostage there before being released shortly afterward.
According to the security source contacted, O.T. is one of the suspects in the attack that cost the lives, in February 2013 in Arsal, of two Lebanese officers, Commander Pierre Bechaalani and Staff Sergeant Ibrahim Zahraman. He was arrested in 2017, along with several suspects, including alleged members of the Islamic State (IS) organization, and sentenced to death. IS jihadists and other groups were been active in the Arsal region, particularly its hinterland, since the start of the war in Syria in 2011. They were forced out in August 2017, after several days of fighting involving first Hezbollah and then the Lebanese army, which resulted in agreements for them to be moved to Syria.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
