Lebanon’s interior minister pushes for prison reform amid calls for radical change

Unless broad, structural reforms to the administration of prisons and military detention centers are passed in conjunction with changes to the criminal justice process itself, the reforms announced by Lebanon’s interior minister so far will likely only have a moderate impact on the penal system.
Lebanon's Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan attends a handover ceremony at the ministry in Beirut, Lebanon February 6, 2019. Picture taken February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RC13E9A5B8D0
Lebanon's Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan attends a handover ceremony at the ministry, Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 6, 2019. - REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Michal Kranz
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During an interview with the Lebanese paper L’Orient-Le Jour on Feb. 22, new Minister of Interior Raya al-Hassan stated that reforming Lebanon’s overcrowded and abuse-ridden prison system is high on her agenda.

“Indeed, some projects have been implemented by my predecessors, but much remains to be done,” Hassan said.

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