Roumieh prison riots one of the inmates, Ali Hassan Taleb, was transferred by judicial decree from Roumieh to Amioun prison in North Lebanon

The Roumieh riots were reportedly instigated by a group of inmates coming to the aid of Youssef Shaaban, who was in an altercation with a prison warden. Shaaban, a Palestinian, was convicted for the 1994 murder of a Jordanian diplomat. Rioting that occurred last week in the largest penitentiary center in Lebanon, Roumieh prison, had little to do with the controversial detention of four former security service chiefs for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa said Saturday.The Internal Security Forces (ISF) chief, General Ashraf Rifi, also refused to link the riots to political and legal controversy, saying the incident was motivated only by the "declared aim" of improving living conditions in the prison and reducing jail time.
According to security sources, prison administrators and Military Magistrate Jean Fahed are investigating six convicts for inciting unrest, including Youssef Shaaban, who played a central, perhaps premeditated, role in the riots. one of the inmates, Ali Hassan Taleb, was transferred by judicial decree from Roumieh to Amioun prison in North Lebanon for his role in the riots. For reasons that remain unclear, Taleb proceeded to swallow 35 blades and a pair of tweezers before being rushed by authorities to a Zghorta hospital, where he remains in critical condition.At least 70 inmates - some reports have placed the number as high as 200 - set fire to areas of the prison and took seven security personnel hostage, prompting the ISF and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) special units to gear up for a potential raid of the area.
Negotiations were initiated between the detainees and ISF Brigadier General Antoine Shakour for fear of killing the hostages in a storming of the prison. The incident ended in the peaceful hand-over of the seven officers and the return of the rioters to their cells.Because Roumieh holds the four security chiefs and members of the Islamist militant group Fatah al-Islam, there has been speculation, downplayed by both Sabaa and Rifi, regarding possible political motivations for the riots.
Government officials and security officers have sought to minimize this speculation, saying that initial investigations confirm that these riots resulted from dissatisfaction with prison terms and living conditions.The government, including Sabaa, has promised to assess the demands of inmates and examine the living conditions in Lebanese penitentiaries, which have witnessed several similar riots over the past few years.Roumieh prison also saw rioting in 1998, when inmates protesting crowded conditions and poor treatment took five prison wards hostage, and in 2004, when Islamists detained for Dinniyeh clashes with the LAF in 2000 rebelled against cell conditions at the prison. The Roumieh prison is the largest detention center in Lebanon and was built some 40 years ago with the capacity to retain 1,000 inmates. Conditions at Roumieh, which currently holds around 3,000 convicted criminals and individuals awaiting trial, have been criticized by local and international NGOs.Calm returned to Lebanon's largest prison a day after scores of inmates set their clothes on fire and took guards hostage to demand better conditions and reduced sentences.Seven policemen who were taken hostage were released early Friday after nine hours of negotiations between senior police officers and representatives of the rioting inmates at Roumieh prison, according to a police statement.
The prisoners returned to their cells amid tight security to prevent additional rioting.Thursday's riots began when prisoners attacked their guards and took some of them hostage, the officials said. Some of the 200 rioting prisoners set their clothes on fire and black smoke was seen billowing from the building for some time.
The Roumieh prison was built 40 years ago to hold 1,000 inmates, but more than 3,000 are currently held there.