Calm Restored at Roumieh after Prisoners Detained Security Forces

Calm was restored on Tuesday afternoon at Roumieh prison, Lebanon's largest prison facility, after chaos had erupted earlier in the day when inmates held several guards in detention, MTV reported.

“Calm was restored after negotiations took place between the prisoners and the jail's guards,” the TV explained.

Earlier in the day, LBCI television had reported that prisoners in bloc B detained 7 members of Roumieh's guards.

The state-run National News Agency elaborated on the news, saying the troublemakers also set some of the prison's properties on fire.

Future TV revealed that the chaos might have erupted following a water cutout.

Meanwhile, other reports said: “The prisoners' parents were not allowed to visit them this morning because of the holiday,” signaling that this might have been the reason that caused tension in bloc B.

On December 23, protests had erupted at Roumieh prison “after cellphones were confiscated from some inmates during an inspection of the prison and amid reports saying that some inmates will be transferred” to another location, NNA reported.

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.