From the Daily Star

BEIRUT: A collection of Lebanese and international human-rights organizations have written a letter to the interior minister highlighting areas of concern in the Lebanese penal system.

The letter, dated October 7 and addressed to Ziad Baroud, catalogued a litany of abuses in Lebanese prisons and detention facilities including at least 27 inmate deaths, denial of access to medical care, and accusations of torture and mistreatment.

The authors of the open letter applauded Baroud’s August decision to ask the General Inspectorate to look in to reported abuses inside Lebanese prisons, but they stressed the need to follow through with the investigation and expand its scope.

"We need concrete action," Nadim Houry, senior researcher for Human Rights Watch and co-author of the letter, told The Daily Star. "It is important for the human-rights organizations and civil society to continue to monitor the situation and expand the investigation."