The International Committee of the Red Cross has pledged $1 million to rehabilitate some Lebanese prisons, the head of the groups's Lebanon delegation announced Thursday.
“The ICRC has submitted a proposal to Cabinet, through the interior minister, calling for the rehabilitation of some Lebanese prisons,” Fabrizio Carboni said after a meeting with Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk. “We have designated a sum of $1 million to some of these centers, including the Tripoli and Zahle prisons.”
He called on authorities to swiftly accept the offer.
Carboni said that poorly equipped detention facilities pose a crisis to both inmates and prison guards, adding that renovations would provide a “suitable environment” for security forces and detainees.
The donation comes only a few days after footage surfaced showing prison guards torturing inmates in Roumieh Prison. The grant also comes two days after Roumieh inmates staged riots demanding improved conditions, including access to WiFi and cellphones.
Machnouk chaired a security meeting Thursday in light of this week’s Roumieh riots, calling on officials to follow up daily on the security, humanitarian and logistic conditions of the prison.
