Prisons Record Second Death in 24 Hours; Romieya Hunger Strike Enters Fourth Day

The "Committee of Families of Detainees in Lebanon" reported the death of detained George Abd al-Sater (54), from the town of Aayat in Bint Jbeil district, inside Zahle Prison on Wednesday, following a severe deterioration in his health, marking the second death in Lebanese prisons within 24 hours.

This is the fifth death in 30 days since the amnesty law was enacted by the Parliament, according to the committee.

In its statement, the committee said the detainee had remained untried for 12 years, and his health deteriorated over time due to intense psychological stress and inhumane conditions in the country's prisons.

The committee pointed out that the circumstances surrounding George’s death exemplify the medical neglect endured by detainees and prisoners, noting that he lay on the prison pharmacy floor for more than half an hour without immediate transfer or medical examination, according to fellow inmates.

The committee added that the prisoner might have had a chance to receive treatment in a hospital and obtain necessary medical care to save his life if the amnesty law recently signed by President Joseph Aoun had been implemented. However, the constitutional challenge filed by MP Gebran Bassil, which ignored humanitarian grounds, led to the suspension of the law’s implementation aimed at reducing overcrowding and saving lives.

The committee concluded its statement with an appeal to the Constitutional Council to dismiss the challenge and immediately enforce the law, stressing that ending delays in this matter has become urgent to halt the rising number of deaths across Lebanese prisons.

Meanwhile, the comprehensive strike initiated by inmates at Romieya Central Prison enters its fourth consecutive day, as over 400 prisoners in Block B continue refusing food and medication in protest against the suspension of the general amnesty law and the exceptional reduction in penalties, pending a decision from the Constitutional Council in the coming days.