Campaigns demanding the release of Syrian detainees in Lebanon have increased following the fall of the Syrian regime, including the campaign “Save Syrian Detainees in Lebanon,” which is a collective of Syrian and Lebanese journalists and human rights activists.

Many Syrian detainees live in difficult health and psychological conditions, alongside many Lebanese detainees in the notorious Roumieh prison.

Journalist Aisha Sabri, one of the organizers of the “Save Syrian Detainees in Lebanon” campaign, told Enab Baladi that the campaign has been trying for a while to pressure the Lebanese government to address this issue.

The campaign had previously called in a statement issued on December 9, 2024, for the release of detainees who were arrested due to their pro-revolution positions regarding the Syrian revolution.

The campaign urged the new Syrian leadership to take urgent steps to address this issue and to enhance cooperation with the Lebanese state to ensure the release of the detainees. It emphasized in its statement the importance of respecting international laws.

Poor conditions

In general, inmates in Roumieh prison suffer from a lack of healthcare, food, and basic services.

The capacity of Roumieh prison is estimated at 1,200 prisoners, while it currently houses more than four times that number.

This overcrowding is primarily due to the dire conditions in areas where other prisons are located, necessitating the transfer of prisoners there, resorting to preventative detention, unjustified detentions, and the slow pace of trials.

Relative stagnation and marginalization

Many Syrians have been imprisoned for years without fair trials, according to the families of the detainees, with some not being presented before a judicial committee for over nine years.

According to Aisha Sabri, the issue currently faces relative stagnation and marginalization from both the Syrian and Lebanese governments, following the visit of former Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to Damascus.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry confirmed in an official statement after that visit that an agreement was reached with Lebanon to repatriate all Syrian detainees held in Lebanese prisons.

The agreement between al-Sharaa and Mikati specified the transfer of 1,750 convicts from Lebanon to Syria.

Messages from inside

Rami (a pseudonym), one of the Syrian detainees in Roumieh prison, communicated with Enab Baladi through his sister, stating that the reason for his arrest was his defection and refusal to remain under Assad’s regime, joining the ranks of the Syrian revolution since 2011.

Rami has previously faced both mental and physical torture during these years, which he described as not different from the torture experienced in Assad’s prisons, with fabricated cases and coerced confessions extracted under torture.

Rami sent a message to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani through Enab Baladi, emphasizing the necessity of appointing a special official in the Syrian government to follow up on this issue with the Lebanese side, especially since many detainees were arrested because of their support for the Syrian revolution.

He concluded his message by saying, “Every moment I live in my prison after the fall of al-Assad is equal to a year of the days I lived before his fall.”

Hope and waiting

Journalist Aisha Sabri stated that the fall of the regime, in addition to the statement issued by the Damascus government, has given great hope to detainees in Roumieh prison, of whom about 200 are detained on terrorism charges due to their supportive positions regarding the Syrian revolution.

Sabri added that this hope requires action to implement the agreement. Families of detainees and those involved in the media campaign are trying to organize protests in Damascus and the city of al-Qusayr, from which many detainees hail, to pressure the new Syrian government to take action with the Lebanese side.

Detainees in their cells raise banners through which they send messages to transitional Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, calling for their release as Ramadan approaches.