Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

April 6, 2025

Lebanon: 83% of incarcerated people remain without trial amid worsening conditions

News

Crises Pre-trial detention Women Minors Middle East Foreign prisoners Health Material conditions Overcrowding Rehabilitation Lebanon

Based on 2024 statistics from the Directorate of Prisons in the Ministry of Justice, there are approximately 8,500 imprisoned people in various prisons across Lebanon, with 83% of them being detained without trial.

February 13, 2025

Lebanon: incarcerated syrian go on hunger strike demanding extradition

News

Crises Middle East Foreign prisoners Health Overcrowding Lebanon

More than 100 syrians incarcerated in Lebanon’s central prison have begun an open-ended hunger strike demanding to be sent home to complete their trials and prison sentences.

November 1, 2024

Lebanon: Prosecutor seeks to ease release requests

News

Crises Pre-trial detention Middle East Justice Overcrowding Lebanon

One of the collateral effects of the ongoing war in Lebanon has been the worsening of prison overcrowding, now exceeding 300 percent of capacity. Lebanon’s acting Public Prosecutor Jamal Hajjar issued a directive to expedite the release process for individuals held in pretrial detention.

December 15, 2023

Lebanon: from bad to worse

Interview

Crises Pre-trial detention Women Middle East Foreign prisoners Health Mental health Material conditions Lebanon

Prisoners are suffering the consequences of the socio-economic crisis: access to medical care, food and water is no longer guaranteed. The proportion of people in remand detention far exceeds the global average and contributes to prison overcrowding. Interview.

June 13, 2023

Lebanon: sharp increase of deaths in custody as prisons lack basic healthcare

News

Middle East Health Material conditions Lebanon

Deaths in Lebanese prisons have nearly doubled in 2022 compared to 2018, Amnesty International said in a statement, citing possible factors such as prison officials’ misconduct or negligence, overcrowding, lack of adequate resources and impunity for ill-treatment. Amnesty International’s Deputy Dir…

September 5, 2022

Liban : si l’État ne paie pas ses fournisseurs, les détenus de quatre prisons seront privés de nourriture

Middle East Material conditions Activities Lebanon

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

June 20, 2022

Lebanon: using theatre as therapy in prison

Testimonial

Culture Women Middle East Mental health Activities Lebanon

Theatre comes to Lebanese prisons. Catharsis is an organisation that offers drama therapy workshops in prisons. Its director Zeina Daccache produced documentaries about three such projects that took place in prisons.

June 10, 2022

Lebanon: liberty in dreams

Testimonial

Middle East Lebanon

Hussein is incarcerated at Roumieh central prison. He told Prison Insider about his daily life: a life where liberty only exists in his dreams.

May 31, 2022

Liban : Le système judiciaire n'enquête toujours pas de manière adéquate sur les allégations de torture, selon un rapport

News

Middle East Material conditions Torture Lebanon

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

April 28, 2022

Liban : Des proches de détenus manifestent devant la prison militaire de Rihanié

News

Middle East Justice Lebanon

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

April 28, 2022

Liban : Les prisonniers de Roumieh s'automutilent pour alerter sur la détérioration de leur situation

News

Middle East Health Mental health Material conditions Lebanon

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

April 28, 2022

Lebanon's prisons: A microcosm of disease, sectarianism and near-anarchy

News

Middle East Material conditions Lebanon

Inter-ministerial wrangling over the control of the prison facilities coupled with police brutality and a lack of funding has exacerbated the human rights situation of incarcerated people in the country.

April 28, 2022

Liban : Dans la plus grande prison du Liban, manger devient un luxe

News

Middle East Material conditions Lebanon

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

April 28, 2022

Liban : Le quadruple féminicide d’Ansar ravive le débat sur la peine de mort dans un Liban en crise

News

Middle East Death penalty Lebanon

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French, Spanish

April 28, 2022

Lebanon: Lebanese LGBT community fights to keep safe spaces

News

Middle East LGBTQI Lebanon

Although Beirut is one of the most LGBT-friendly cities in the region, there are still some limitations that don’t allow the community to express themselves freely.

April 26, 2022

Pre-trial detention Women Minors Middle East Foreign prisoners LGBTQI Long-term prisoners Access to legal rights Discipline Justice Health Mental health Material conditions Suicide Overcrowding Death penalty Torture Violence Activities Social ties Work Lebanon

All there is to know about Lebanese prisons in 2022. Key figures, life in detention, references: discover all the data gathered by Prison Insider.