Brief riot in Amioun prison

BEIRUT — A security source confirmed to L'Orient Today that a brief riot broke out Monday at the Amioun prison in the Koura district of North Lebanon, with two Internal Security Forces members trapped inside with the inmates.

The situation has "returned to calm," according to this source.

According to the source, the reasons behind this "chaos" date back to last Friday, when a search was carried out in the prison after reports that some inmates were in possession of blunt objects and that a "fence had been pierced." Some inmates opposed the search.

On Saturday and Sunday, "illegal items" were found on the inmates in question. On Monday, when one of them refused to be questioned, the situation escalated. "Two officers found themselves locked in after the inmates closed the prison door, but nothing happened to them," the source said, adding that the situation ultimately calmed down that same day. The source added that the inmates involved in the riot were eventually questioned and transferred to another prison, without specifying which one.

Three months ago, Islamist inmates protested at Roumieh prison, Lebanon's largest, demanding an amnesty law and better conditions. Prisons in Lebanon suffer from chronic overcrowding and often deplorable detention conditions. Many inmates languish in their cells for years while awaiting trial.