Daily Star - Parliament committee to assess prison conditions - January 19,2010

BEIRUT: The Human Rights parliamentary committee held a meeting on Monday to discuss prison conditions, the banning of certain Lebanese television channels and procedures taken against Lebanese travelers at international airports. MP Michel Moussa said that the committee discussed the issue of foreign inmates, especially the Iraqi inmate Yusra al-Amiri and decided to visit prisons of the Interior Ministry and the Defense Ministry. He said some foreign prisoners have already served their time but haven’t been deported because no embassy was responsible for them. Moussa added that the committee tackled the United States’ project to ban Lebanese television stations from airing in the US and said that it presented Information Minister Tarek Mitri with several suggested actions that could be taken. Moussa also condemned airport procedures taken by some countries against Lebanese travelers, saying they violated rights of equality. He called the Foreign Ministry and the Cabinet to take necessary measures concerning the problem. – The Daily Star