Roumieh inmates riot demanding amnesty and shorter prison year

Lebanon’s central Roumieh Prison has witnessed rioting on Wednesday and Thursday coinciding with a legislative session in parliament.

Inmates are demanding a general amnesty and the slashing of the prison year, currently at nine months.

During the protests, some inmates hung mock nooses, saying: “Take us out to freedom or else our fate will be death, seeing as we’re slowly dying every day.”

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