279 women inmates in overcrowded Lebanese prisons

In its edition of today, As Safir newspaper brought to light the campaign launched in 2014 by the Directorate General of General Security to rehabilitate women’s prisons. The main focus, As Safir wrote, is on the prisons of Baabda, Barbar Khazen in Beirut, Al Qobba in the North and Zahleh prison in the Beqaa area, with a total number of 279 inmates, and changing occasionally, as per the head of the prisons’ branch, lieutenant colonel Ghassan Othman. The four prisons are overcrowded, particularly in Baabda, which, while built to accommodate 60 persons, presently houses about 90 inmates. Any additional prisoner is required to sleep on the floor because of insufficient beds, Othman told As Safir. In Tripoli, Al Qoba jail which originally accommodates 80 prisoners max, has over 100 inmates, Othman said, adding that Zahleh prison houses over 40 inmates when it can only take in 35 persons. On the other hand, Khazen jail in Beirut cannot put up with more than 60 inmates, he said. For more on the campaign, please check the following link: http://m.assafir.com/Article/176/520063  (As Safir, December 13, 2016)