BEIRUT: Relatives of prisoners and activists gathered Tuesday in Downtown Beirut to demand that the legal and human rights of prisoners be respected.
Dozens of people who gathered at the Riad al-Solh Square urged the government to abide by the laws related to the treatment of prisoners and called for a general amnesty. “We are asking for general amnesty for all prisoners except those condemned for spying for Israel,” said Ali Khalil, the representative of the International Organization for Human Rights in Lebanon, arguing there had not been a general amnesty in the country for over 30 years.
The organization later marched to Parliament to present a list of demands to the Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, which was convened Tuesday.
“We showed them the pictures [of tortured prisoners] and some of the lawmakers promised they would visit the prisons,” said Khalil, adding his organization had recorded over 50 deaths in prisons between 2008 and 2011.
“Our government must be able to take good care of the youth, declare a general amnesty and let them start over,” said protester Nizam Haniyeh.
Protesters held a banner calling on Lebanese leaders to “be just before it’s too late.”
“We are here today to support the prisoners in the [central prison of] Roumieh, because most of them [were jailed] without fair trials,” said Nour Sabra, whose father is in prison.
“He has gangrene and very low immunity. He cannot bare living with dozens of people in one cell,” he said, adding his father had requested to see a doctor several times without success.
Protesters also argued that drug addicts should not be jailed with other prisoners. “Those people charged for using drugs leave prison as criminals and move from being drug users to becoming to drug dealers,” Sabra said.
“It’s because all prisoners, no matter their charges, are mixed together in jail.” –Marie Dhumières
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