Charbel, Qortbawi Inspect Roumieh Jail: Weekly Searches Will Be Held at Facility

Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi toured Roumieh Prison on Wednesday in order to inspect the facility and listen to inmates' needs, announcing that efforts will be made to improve conditions at the facility.

Charbel announced during a press conference after the tour: “A search of the facility will be held on a weekly basis.”

“All prohibited material will be confiscated and we will eliminate the violations at the jail,” he said.

“All inmates are under the law and no one is above it,” he stressed.

“The prison is not a place of punishment, but a place to reform inmates,” Charbel continued.

For his part, Qortbawi stated that efforts will be made to speed up the trial of inmates, saying that judges are doing their utmost to meet the demand, “but they are only human and there is only so much they can do.”

“The overcrowding at the jail is due to the crime rates in Lebanon that are mounting,” he explained.

Moreover, he stressed that any official will be held accountable for the violations and corruption at Roumieh Prison.

He also revealed that four new projects to construct prisons have been approved.

Roumieh, the oldest and largest of Lebanon's overcrowded prisons, has witnessed sporadic prison breaks in recent years and escalating riots over the past months as inmates living in poor conditions demand better treatment.