At the occasion of the Nelson Mandela International Day, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the Internal Security Forces (ISF) and the Prison Administration at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) organized an event at the Roumieh prison tribunal, under the framework of the project “Improving prison conditions in Lebanon” implemented by the MoJ in coordination with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities with the technical assistance of UNODC and funded by Italy.
The event gathered Colonel Mohamad Dsouki Head of Roumieh prison, Mrs. Rita Petrilli legal officer and Mr. Hussein Fakih project manager at the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Judge Raja Abi Nader Head of the prison administration, Mrs. Hala Abou Samra from the Department of Juveniles at the MoJ, and Mrs. Mirna Bou Habib the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer and Mrs. Renee Sabbagh Program Officer at the UNODC. In addition to 50 officers and members of the ISF and representatives from various NGOs working in Roumieh prison who attended in two groups.
The event started with Colonel Mohamed Dsouki welcoming everyone and stressing on the ISF keenness to put its efforts for the continuous improvement of the prisons’ living conditions. He also thanked UNODC and Italy for the donation of the food distribution vehicle.
Then, Mrs. Mirna Bou Habib presented the foundations and concepts of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules), which revolve around promoting humane conditions in imprisonment, raising awareness about prisoners being a continuous part of society, and valuing the work of prison staff as an important social service.
Judge Raja Abi Nader spoke about the mechanisms of implementing these rules in spite of the difficult conditions and challenges prevailing inside the prisons. He encouraged all prison staff to familiarize themselves with the Mandela rules and use them to improve prison conditions that will reflect not only on the prisoners but on themselves as well.
The ceremony concluded with the official handover of a food distribution vehicle to the ISF that was donated under the framework of the project funded by Italy. The vehicle will ensure adequate and safe distribution of food to all Roumieh buildings.
On this occasion, an activity was also carried out at the Juvenile Wing in Roumieh with children and young adults with offences related to violent extremism, including terrorism. After presenting Nelson Mandela’s story each of them received an inspirational quote of Mandela on which they were requested to reflect and express their views and emotions. Their reactions varied from a total silent in the beginning, to some positive or negative thoughts about their life in prison. Some of them expressed the importance of patience and learning from this stage of their lives and some of them expressed a longing for freedom and safety. One sentence captured everyone’s attention “Life is a novel, and prison is only a chapter of this novel, there are many chapters waiting for me.” By the end of the day children were invited to take their quotes to hang them in their rooms to inspire them during their daily lives and actions, and to inform their inmate about what they experienced.