Eurasia Press & News
Syrian and Lebanese prisoners in Roumieh prison in Lebanon have vowed to carry out an open-ended strike that will begin on Monday, January 26, in protest against the health conditions inside the prison.
A source inside the “Roumieh” prison (Enab Baladi was kept for security reasons) explained that the strike was the result of medical negligence, as the prison does not have medicines, medicine and treatment.
The source pointed out that dozens of prisoners are in a serious condition, as a result of skin diseases and tuberculosis.
On the other hand, the prisoners, according to the source, demanded what they called “transitional justice, not selectivity.”
The source confirmed that the strike is open, pointing to an escalation (which did not specify its nature) that prisoners may start in the coming days.
The prison in “Roumieh” in Lebanon is witnessing a worsening humanitarian crisis, amid a deterioration in services, amid a warning of an imminent humanitarian disaster inside the prison, due to the registration of several deaths caused by the widespread spread of tuberculosis.
On December 27, 2025, the “Syrian prisoners of conscience in Lebanon” page on Facebook reported the death of prisoners Mahmoud al-Hakim and Hamza Belbisi, in addition to the registration of 20 injuries with similar symptoms, and the transfer of four prisoners in a critical condition.
She described the situation inside the prison as what happened during the Coronavirus pandemic, but the current health crisis comes “amid deadly overcrowding and flagrant neglect.”
The Syrian prisoners of conscience in Lebanon stressed that the danger is compounded by the transfer of prisoners in closed cars en masse, and their mixing through guards moving between buildings without any preventive measures.
She said that the situation in prison is similar to the timed health bomb, warning that any delay means new victims, holding the concerned authorities fully responsible.
It contains prisoners of conscience.
“Roumieh” prison contains Syrian and Lebanese prisoners, including prisoners of conscience, who supported or participated in the Syrian revolution, in addition to prisoners with political and criminal backgrounds, and his inmates have already carried out strikes, because of the poor conditions inside him.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimated the number of Syrian detainees in Roumieh prison at about 2,000 people, including about 190 detainees for their participation in the Syrian revolution.
Located northeast of Beirut, Roumieh prison is the largest in Lebanon, and has more than 4000 inmates, although its capacity does not exceed 1200, causing overcrowding and poor services.
On the other hand, there are no official estimates of the number of missing Lebanese in Syria, but the Association of Lebanese Detainees in Syrian Prisons estimates that 622 are missing.
In August 2023, Human Rights Watch published a report, in which it spoke of complaints from the families of Syrian prisoners in Lebanon that food inside prisons has become “so inadequate and poorly quality that it is often unfit for consumption.”
Amnesty International warned in a report published in June 2023 that the number of deaths in Lebanese detention centers and prisons in 2022 doubled compared to 2018 and before the start of the economic crisis.
The “Roumieh” prison. “Fatal overcrowding and scandalous neglect”
