Head of the National Commission for the Defense of Syrian Detainees and Missing Persons, Yasser Al-Farhan, said that the Commission is closely following the issue of Syrian detainees in the Roumieh prison in Lebanon. He condemned the industrial torture of detainees as violating international laws and norms.
In an interview with Al-Hal newspaper, Al-Farhan said that the Commission has collected the testimonies of 59 ex-detainees in the Lebanese Roumieh prison. It is also reviewing the information it received from the Syrian Opposition Coalition’s (SOC) refugee office and is following recommendations with the parties concerned with the Roumieh prison.
Al-Farhan stressed that the SOC follows a certain methodology for communicating with ex-detainees and listening to their testimonies. He also said that the SOC is also communicating with the Lebanese lawyers who are tasked with following the issue of detainees in Lebanon.
Regarding the conditions inside the Roumieh prison, Al-Farhan pointed out that the UN agencies managed to enter some medical supplies into the prison, adding that it faced difficulties due to the fact that the Hezbollah terrorist militia controls Lebanese government institutions.
According to Lebanese media and human rights organizations, seven prisoners died in custody in the Roumieh prison in March, including a Syrian and a Palestinian, due to ill-treatment and medical neglect, which prompted the rest of the prison inmates to riot.
Rights groups indicated that Syrian prisoners in the Lebanese Roumieh prison are subjected to large-scale violations, with some dying under torture or handed over to the Assad regime ‘s security forces.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
