Ongoing 'Roumieh' Hunger Strike... Fourth Death in One Month!

The humanitarian crisis inside Lebanese prisons is worsening after the fourth death was recorded within a single month, amid the expanding scope of protests and the third day of a comprehensive strike at Roumieh Central Prison, rejecting the suspension of the general amnesty law.

The "Committee of Prisoners' Families" announced the death of Lebanese inmate Naima Al-Hajj from Ain Saadah region, who died inside Halba Prison in northern Lebanon following a severe deterioration in his health condition. The committee explained that the deceased had contracted kidney failure during his detention, leaving him bedridden, with extreme difficulties in securing necessary treatment and medication, amid declining healthcare services and deteriorating living conditions for inmates suffering from chronic illnesses within prisons.

The committee quoted detainees at Halba Prison stating that Al-Hajj had been hoping to benefit from the general amnesty law to receive medical care outside prison or spend his final days with his family, before the law’s implementation was halted following a legal challenge filed against its effects by MP Gebran Bassil.

In this context, lawyer and human rights advocate Muhammad Sablouh pointed out via his Facebook account that "the prisoner died after enduring prolonged illness, while prisons continue to await the conclusion of the Bassil appeal period, amid ongoing health hardships faced by inmates."