Prisoner commits suicide in Roumieh prison

BEIRUT — A prisoner committed suicide in the notorious Roumieh prison on Wednesday, according to Raeda al-Solh, a representative of a committee for detainees' families, who spoke with L'Orient Today. A security source also confirmed the incident.

According to Solh, the person, identified by the initials K.J., hanged himself inside the prison's juvenile detention center.

According to her, K.J. had been imprisoned for being accused of attempted murder in Barja (Chouf district). She noted that his mental state has "deteriorated sharply as a result of his detention without trial" and that he was not receiving any psychiatric medication.

This is not the first suicide in Lebanese prisons in recent months. In July, a 40-year-old Syrian national who had reportedly been detained for about two and a half years without trial, died by suicide. Last month, a minor took his own life at a juvenile rehabilitation center in Warwar, Baabda.

Detainees in Lebanese prisons often suffer deplorable conditions resulting from chronic overcrowding and a failure to have basic needs met or access to healthcare. Many detainees languish in their cells for years awaiting trial.

Roumieh, Lebanon's largest prison, was designed to hold 1,200 inmates. A 2023 Human Rights report found that the prison was at that time holding some 4,000 inmates. Countrywide, Lebanon's prisons were found to be nearly double their capacity.