Lebanon Prisoners On Hunger Strike For 18 Days As Health Conditions Worsen

Around 400 prisoners at Lebanon's Roumieh prison have been on hunger strike for 18 days in protest against the suspension of a general amnesty law, with dozens reportedly suffering deteriorating health conditions, according to a Lebanese lawyer and prisoners' rights campaigner.

The inmates began the open-ended strike on September 12 after Lebanon's Constitutional Council suspended the amnesty law pending a ruling on a legal challenge.

Why Are Lebanese Prisoners On Hunger Strike?

The prisoners, mainly held in Building B of Roumieh prison, began refusing food on September 12 after the Constitutional Council suspended Lebanon's general amnesty law. Parliament had passed the legislation on August 12 and President Joseph Aoun promulgated it on September 4, according to L'Orient Today.

The law contained provisions that could have resulted in the release of some inmates, including people serving sentences for petty crimes, or reductions in their sentences. Its suspension followed an appeal by the parliamentary bloc of the Free Patriotic Movement to the Constitutional Council.

The prisoners have continued their protest for more than two weeks. Mohammed Sablouh, a Lebanese lawyer and director of the Prisoners' Rights Center at the Tripoli Bar Association, told Al Jazeera that about 400 prisoners were participating and that ambulances had been entering the prison daily to take inmates away because of their deteriorating condition.

What Is The Condition Of The Prisoners?

Sablouh told Al Jazeera that the prisoners were refusing not only food but also medication and water. He described the situation as “dire”, saying dozens of inmates had required medical attention.

The protest has also generated concern outside the prison. Prisoners' families have called for demonstrations in Tripoli in support of the inmates. L'Orient Today reported that one prisoner had already been hospitalised during the early days of the hunger strike.

Roumieh is Lebanon's largest central prison. Building B, where the hunger strike is taking place, primarily houses Islamist, jihadist and Salafist inmates, according to L'Orient Today.

What Happens To Lebanon's Amnesty Law?

Lebanon's parliament passed the general amnesty law on August 12, and President Joseph Aoun promulgated it on September 4. However, the Constitutional Council suspended the legislation on September 10 after an appeal was filed by the Free Patriotic Movement's parliamentary bloc.

The suspension means that prisoners who had expected the law to result in their release or reduced sentences must wait for the Constitutional Council's ruling.

The issue has also prompted protests in Tripoli, where prisoners' families have called for demonstrations in support of the hunger strikers. The families' committee has blamed those who challenged the law for delaying the release of inmates, although that is the committee's position. Al Jazeera says the prisoners are refusing medication, food and water, based on Sablouh's account.