Number of unconvicted prisoners in Lebanon exceeds 80 percent: MP Michel Moussa

On Thursday, the Human Rights Committee held a session in the Parliament to tackle issues regarding nutrition and health in prisons.  

After the session, MP Michel Moussa affirmed today Lebanon is facing a significant crisis that primarily affects the marginalized classes, including prisoners. "It is unacceptable that the number of unconvicted prisoners exceeds 80 percent. Here is our call for the judiciary to speed up the trials and apply the articles related to releases."  

MP Michel Moussa stated that the session was held to discuss the urgent issues in prisons, especially regarding nutrition and health, because the living, social, health, and economic crises that exist in the country also affect prisons, expressing that prisoners cannot earn money to be able to live with it.  

He added that assistance provided by international institutions and the International Red Cross, which provided significant contributions, must be preserved and maintained permanently. He also demanded an increase in this assistance and called for more coordination between institutions for fair and varied aid distribution.   

He stressed that the overcrowding in prisons is not humanly acceptable, adding that "we appeal to the judiciary, even if it is in cases of strike, that there be exceptions to consider these rulings because there are those who serve a much longer prison term than they are sentenced to at the time of the sentencing."  

He continued: "There are basic issues for the committee, and we all know that in the past period, the number of deaths was unusual, and we demanded clear and effective investigations regarding deaths in coordination with the judiciary. It is the right of families to know about the fate of their children and what led to their death."  

The Human Rights Committee also tackled health issues, especially the issue of hospitals, emergency cases, and costs, and the issue of enhancing hospitalization opportunities for prisoners.  

As for nutrition, MP Michel Moussa said they would work to have treasury advances as food contractors threaten to stop deliveries because they have accumulations on the state.