The Ministry of Interior was tasked by the Lebanese government to perform an immediate and urgent investigation into claims that convicts at Roumieh Central Prison had passed away as a result of a developing health problem.

Asharq Al-Awsat received confirmation from a security source that two detainees recently passed away, one of whom had spent a month receiving treatment at al-Hayat Hospital. The second, following a heart arrest, passed away inside the jail.

“The jail administration had looked back on the death cases throughout the years and had noted that drug misuse and overdose could have been the reason,” the source said.

A delegation of the prisoners' families met earlier with the Secretary-General, Judge Mahmoud Makkieh. Their discussion featured high on the convicts and detainees’ treatment in prison and the recent health crisis in Roumieh that had led to the death of several inmates.

According to Asharq Al-Awsat’s source, families informed Makkieh that a virus spreading in the jails was the reason behind the two prisoners’ death a few days ago and a third on Friday.

Following the meeting, Makkieh sent a letter to the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Bassam Mawlawi, requesting that he conduct a prompt investigation into this matter and takes the necessary measures to resolve it as soon as possible.

The source emphasized that the Ministry is now in charge of implementing immediate actions, confirming the said facts, and identifying the factors that led to the three fatalities.

Lebanon has 25 prisons, with 6,989 prisoners, 5,391 of whom are in Roumieh Central Prison, and about 40 percent of prisoners are not nationals.

The Internal Security Forces were tasked with 250,000 transfer cases to courts during the summers of 2021 and 2022, and 60% of those cases were completed. Due to the coronavirus epidemic, roadblocks, judges' strikes, and a lack of funds the remaining cases could not be completed.

Given that the number of detainees exceeds the jails' capacity by three times, Lebanon has overcrowded prisons. To address the said crisis, a number of officials and activists call for accelerating the issuance of sentences.