A thousand stories revolve around Roumieh prison, the biggest detention center in Lebanon and the only one based on modern prison design when it opened, in 1970. Located in East Beirut, Roumieh consists of six buildings and is equipped to accommodate 1,500 prisoners, but currently holds more than 3,000. Former Justice Minister Chakib Qortbawi told Al-Monitor this figure has never been below 2,800.
Why is Roumieh associated with expressions like “time bomb,” “terrorist operation chamber” and “Islamist emirate,” which have been used by various Lebanese officials? Why is its name heard every time Lebanon experiences a security crisis, such as this month in relation to a proposed prisoner swap initiated by the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra and brokered by the Committee of Muslim Scholars, the most important Sunni scholars association in Lebanon. The battle of Arsal that erupted in early August 2014, leading to the death of 19 military personnel and the kidnapping of 35 others, was triggered by Islamist groups with prisoners in Roumieh who hope to force the goverment into agreeing to a prisoner swap.
Security sources familiar with prison conditions believe that the situation in Roumieh began to change after the 2000 Danniyeh incidents, when the Lebanese army battled the terrorist group Takfir wal-Hijra. The fighting lasted six days and led to the deaths of 11 soldiers and 16 militants and the arrest of 37 extremists. Many of those arrested before Danniyeh and convicts accused of organized crime and treason were detained in Roumieh. Today, however, prisoners of a different kind are locked up there. They are charged with terrorism.
The terrorism detenions became more common following the 2007 battle of Nahr al-Bared, between the Lebanese army and Fatah al-Islam, and recently grew with the 2013 Abra incidents, when the extremist group led by Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir opened fire at an army checkpoint, and the recurring clashes in Tripoli between Sunnis and Shiites. The growth of extremists groups in neighboring countries, especially Syria, and their spillover into Lebanon has added to this population. Most of the people arrested or tried on charges of terrorism were detained at Roumieh because other Lebanese prisons lacked adequate security. Moreover, Roumieh is close to the Military Tribunal, which decreases the risks arising from transporting prisoners.
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