Interior and Municipalities Minister Nouhad al-Mahsnouq declared Wednesday that 500 Roumieh prison inmates are being transferred from bloc D to bloc B, stressing that the issue of overcrowding at the prison will be resolved through limiting the use of each cell to only 3 inmates.
Al-Mashnouq said that the prison’s administration is implementing new measures in order to prevent any recurring violence, noting that the 47 most dangerous prisoners were distributed throughout several jails.
During a press conference, the interior minister pointed out that a complaints box for the prisoners will be provided, revealing that within a period of two months, the issue of the Islamist detainees will be finalized.
On Friday April 17, prisoners at Roumieh prison’s newly-rehabilitated Bloc D set their mattresses on fire and took a number of guards hostage, forcing the Internal Security Forces’ Riot police units to storm the building.
The riots, according to the inmates, came in response to overcrowding and the implementation of stricter regulations to prevent the smuggling of drugs and weapons to inmates at the facility.
Roumieh prison, which has witnessed sporadic riots and jail breaks, holds almost 5,500 inmates and is known to be the oldest and largest of Lebanon's overcrowded jails. Prisoners have been able to communicate to the outside with mobile phones and security sources have said some are involved in attacks against the state.