Lili Gerges

Attorney Mohamad Sablouh returned from Syria after obtaining power of attorney from the family of the minor, Mohanad Mohamad El Ahmad (14), who ended his life inside the juvenile detention facility AlWarwar in the Baabda area on Monday, September 29.
Mohanad had been arrested along with his brother on charges of stealing state-owned electrical cables. According to attorney Sablouh, who spoke to Annahar, the family stated that both minors were subjected to torture during interrogation sessions, before Mohanad was transferred to the juvenile ward and his brother to the wing for convicted prisoners in Roumieh Prison.
Mohanad remained in detention for nearly three months, during which he was unable to have any contact with his family. He had been receiving treatment from a specialist for psychological issues, but follow-up care was discontinued due to a shortage of therapeutic staff in the prison.
Sablouh believes that multiple factors pushed Mohanad to the brink of collapse. His death was ruled a suicide, “but the motives that drove him to it are intertwined and complex—beginning with mistreatment and ending with the absence of psychological care inside the prison.”
The suicide of the minor Mohanad El Ahmad at the Rehabilitation Center for Juvenile Offenders in Warwar was not the first of its kind. Annahar has learned that another minor attempted suicide in October and was transferred to the hospital for treatment, amid heavy secrecy surrounding the details.
Exclusive information obtained by Annahar also revealed that two minors attempted to escape from the Rehabilitation Center in Warwar in recent weeks. The incident was never made public in order to avoid causing unrest.
Meanwhile, the actions taken by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture have led to an official investigation into what is happening inside the juvenile ward. Several security personnel have been detained and questioned. 

However, Annahar submitted an official request to the General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces to shed light on conditions in the juvenile ward, previously in Roumieh and currently in Warwar; no reply has been received to date.
“I want to get out of here”
Yasmin, the mother of a minor and the aunt of another who are both serving their sentences at the rehabilitation center in Al Warwar, told Ananahar about the harsh impact of Mohanad’s suicide on her son and her nephew.
She will never forget her nephew entering, pale and trembling, collapsing into her arms and pleading,: “Auntie, I want to get out of here… What did we do?”
His words came after he witnessed the traumatic scene of Mohanad’s suicide in the bathroom of Al Warwar, when Mohanad committed suicide in the bathroom.
Yasmin’s nephew was the first to see Mohnnad in that horrifying state. “He told me, ‘Auntie, his color was blue and he was in a terrifying condition… I can’t get this scene out of my head,’” Yasmine said.
Yasmin recalls those heavy hours after she returned home, explaining: “The fear consumed me… I no longer knew what I was supposed to do. Our lives were destroyed. I swear, what did we do?... We have to pay the price because the person who filed the complaint against them is supported. But why us?”
Yasmin spends around fifty dollars on each visit to her son and her nephew, covering transportation and the supplies she provides them. She says that sometimes she has to walk for more than an hour and a half to avoid the cost of a taxi, adding: “I do everything I can to provide a phone card so I can communicate with them inside the center. My only fear is that they might die in there.”
But the second suicide attempt was a final blow for Yasmin and her family. Overwhelmed by the situation, she turned to the media to make her concerns heard.  Yasmine now repeats a single request: “I want to get my children out… I don’t have money, but surely money is not more valuable than my children.”
The two minors recount to Yasmin painful details of what they experienced inside the center: “It is hard for us to forget the screams of the minors who tried to escape, before the security personnel caught them and beat them brutally. They did not stop there, but went on to shave the heads of everyone present as collective punishment.”
Yasmin describes the condition of her son and her nephew as “dire and tragic. They were in a very bad psychological state; they could no longer endure it.”
She is also troubled by the way the security personnel handle the items she brings for her nephew and son. She says: “They prevent me from bringing this dessert to my son and my nephew, but they do not stop me from bringing boxes of cigarettes, which are allowed. Simply put, the dessert doesn’t matter to them, but the cigarettes end up in the hands of the guards and those in charge of the minors’ protection!”
Five Years of Waiting
The juvenile wing in Roumieh Prison, designated for minors, was located in the same building as the adult prisoners, separated only by an iron door. This wing, known as the Juvenile Building, included several equipped rooms and a set of rehabilitation workshops established and supported by cooperating associations, aiming to provide a more humane environment for the minors.
Before their transfer last September to the Juvenile Offenders Rehabilitation Center (the new official name) in the Warwar area, around 100 minors were living in the Juvenile Building in Roumieh, under conditions described as relatively better than those of other prisoners in the same facility.
Father Najib Baaklini, president of the “Justice and Mercy Association” (AJEM), confirms this view, saying: “The juvenile wing was like a four-star hotel compared to the rest of the buildings in Roumieh Prison.”
Although the Juvenile Offenders Rehabilitation Center in Warwar is not new, it underwent a process of refurbishment and equipping according to international standards that take into account rehabilitative and training aspects. Today it houses approximately one hundred minors.
The calls from associations demanding the establishment of a new building suitable for detained minors did not cease. These demands persisted for more than five years before they were finally answered with the September opening of AlWarwar facility.
Despite the delay in the transfer to Al Warwar, the center still appears to face logistical obstacles and administrative problems, according to multiple sources following the case.
Sablouh points out that the most significant of these gaps lies in the number of guards: twenty for approximately one hundred minors, a number insufficient to ensure both supervision and rehabilitation. There are also delays in providing meals due to the agency responsible for transporting them from Roumieh to Al Warwar.  Lunch sometimes arrives at five in the evening. In addition, minors are deprived of access to the outdoor yard, some are subjected to “harsh treatment,” and cameras that should cover all corners and floors of the building to ensure oversight and transparency are absent.
Father Baaklini considers the transfer of minors to the Rehabilitation Center in Warwar a good and necessary step, but one that is not sufficient to rehabilitate the detainees and guide them back on the right path. In his view: "We need to increase the number of specialists responsible for monitoring, protecting, and assisting the minors, because the current number is insufficient. In addition, there is a need for more medication and better organization of meal times, as lunch still comes around four or five in the afternoon, which creates chaos, confusion, and an uncomfortable and unsafe environment. In short, we need not just a place, but a fully integrated team to provide the necessary services to rehabilitate and support the minors."
Meanwhile, Charlotte Tanios, Program Coordinator at the “Mouvement Social” Association, speaks about the difficulties faced by the minors and those working with them, some of which contributed to the delay in the transfer to Warwar. These difficulties include a shortage of security personnel, limited means to bring minors to court, and delays in providing meals.
The association, in cooperation with other organizations concerned with juvenile prisons, alongside the prison director and relevant authorities, is working to adjust some basic issues. Efforts include scheduling daily visits by the associations to ensure that minors are not left without continuous monitoring and care.
Tanios notes that minors in Warwar are now able to meet their parents and families face-to-face three times a week, something that was impossible in Roumieh. They also have regular access to the outdoor yard twice a week, which was not as frequent when they were in Roumieh.
Minors in Detention
Currently, there are between 60 and 65 detained minors in the Mount Lebanon detention facilities. Some of them have official arrest warrants, while others remain without any judicial ruling, and their hearings have not yet taken place. This delay in resolving cases practically hinders the transfer of minors to the juvenile prison, as they can only be transferred after an official arrest warrant is issued.
These numbers vary across other governorates, where the number of detained minors ranges between 40 and 60, depending on the size of the governorate and the number of registered cases.
However, these figures remain approximate. The Union for the Protection of Juveniles in Lebanon emphasizes that “it is impossible to determine the exact number of detainees, as the numbers change daily. Ten minors may be detained in a single night and released the next day,” making the overall situation constantly changing and difficult to track statistically.
From listening to and observing the testimonies of those involved and the minors themselves, it becomes clear that some associations were unable to continue their work inside Roumieh Prison’s juvenile building due to the cessation of funding. This led to a disruption of psychological and social services within the detention cells.
The Union believes that “this halt negatively affects conditions inside the overcrowded cells, where minors are held in cramped rooms for long periods while awaiting transfer to their hearings. This creates a dangerous situation that requires immediate attention and the resumption of regular and sustainable psychological and social support.”
Testimony of a Minor Released from Roumieh
In a remote area, we met with the 17-year-old minor “A” to hear his story.. His detention in the cells and then in the juvenile building in Roumieh lasted no more than two months, yet it was enough to reveal a harsh reality rarely told or highlighted.
This minor was arrested along with a group of his friends on theft charges. He was sixteen at the time and worked on a “tuk-tuk” in his neighborhood during the summer break. He explains that his role was limited to giving his friends a ride to the place they intended to go, without knowing that they planned to commit a theft. But the story quickly unraveled, and he was also arrested after one of his friends reported him, making his name one of those accused of participation.
The ordeal began in the detention cells, where he confronted the harshness of the experience and the abuses committed there. He recalls those days, saying: “We were subjected to brutal beatings, and our heads were shaved. In one police station, I was struck on the head, causing a deep wound. Sometimes we were beaten at two in the morning; they would enter whenever they wished to hit us, and they wanted me to cry forcibly and kneel before the investigating officer.”
He was then transferred to Roumieh Prison’s juvenile building, where new chapters of injustice, intimidation, and extortion for the simplest necessities began. He describes that period: “The first night in Roumieh was one of the hardest nights I experienced during my detention there.”
He continues: “When I entered the room, I felt like a stranger to everything around me. I spent my first night on the floor, and I quickly realized that every service requested inside the building came at a price, and that the older detainees imposed their power and authority on the newcomers.”
Gradually, however, he began to learn how to live in that room. He shares some details, saying: “During the first days, I slept on the floor; we didn’t have money to pay for the service of sleeping on a bed. But once we had what they called ‘bills,’ I was able to buy all the services that provided me comfort and a reasonably acceptable life inside the prison: cigarettes in exchange for services.”
The young man sums up life inside the prison with this phrase: “Whoever has money lives like a king inside.” He talks about methods he learned to prevent the development of skin diseases, such as “putting salt on a wound so it doesn’t turn into eczema, especially since this condition is widespread in the prison,” and he limited himself to drinking water only twice a week to avoid illness from contamination and bathing in unclean water.
Sparse Sessions and Repeated Delays
These obstacles and challenges are not limited to the logistical aspects of the facility but extend to the judicial system itself. Sablouh explains that “the courts schedule sessions far apart, while the prison administration is unable to provide transportation for detainees or expedite the handling of their cases.”
These slow procedures, he says, leave harsh psychological effects on minors, who live in a state of anxiety and hopelessness, feeling as if they are sentenced to remain behind bars indefinitely, without clarity on the progress of their cases or the date of their release.
“In some cases, the trial is indeed ongoing, but the absence of transportation,” the Union emphasizes, “delays the appearance of detainees at sessions, which obstructs judicial procedures.” Previously, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the revolution, and the Israeli aggression, trials could be conducted via video call. Today, in-person attendance is mandatory, resulting in long delays in sessions and leaving minors detained without their trial being held. The main reasons for these delays include a shortage of Internal Security Forces personnel and the lack of transportation mechanisms due to the malfunction of most military vehicles.
Annahar has learned that the director of one association concerned with juvenile prisons personally funded the repair of two vehicles designated to transport minors to hospitals after they were unable to be transferred for days due to broken-down vehicles, while awaiting a replacement vehicle sent from Roumieh if available.
On the other hand, Father Baaklini points out that most of the minors are detainees whose cases have not yet been adjudicated, while others have already received judicial rulings.
Looking at some cases, there are minors who committed offences or felonies that should carry sentences of no more than six months to a year. However, due to the slow pace of trials, some have exceeded their potential sentences and remain detained without a judicial ruling. For this reason, stakeholders and monitoring associations call for speeding up trials and applying alternative punishments that help individuals reintegrate into society and their normal lives without social stigma.
Among the gaps affecting the accused are the inability to hire a lawyer and the slow judicial process. This provides additional motivation to push for expedited trials for minors, enabling their swift release from this environment and proper rehabilitation.
A Story of Minors Among Many
Yasmin’s husband and brother-in-law work on a farm in the Batroun area. However, the farm owner refused to pay their dues, leaving them around five thousand dollars in debt. She recounts to Annahar the incident that led to the arrest of her son and her nephew, saying: “The shepherd, who also works for the farm owner and whom we know well, called us and asked us to bring him water and cigarettes. When my son and my nephew arrived to deliver the items, they were surprised to see the Internal Security Forces there. As soon as they arrived, they were arrested and beaten.”
About half an hour later, she adds, “An Internal Security Forces vehicle arrived at our house, and one of the officers shouted: ‘Quickly, give us the identification papers of the minors N. D. and A., and take them to the station.’”
In a hurry, Yasmin and her husband went to the station to find out what was happening. Upon arrival, they were shocked when one of the officers said to them: “Your children are thieves; negotiate with the person your children stole from.” The shock, she recounts, was that the person accusing her son and nephew was the same farm owner for whom her husband and brother-in-law work, who also holds the position of head clerk in the area.
Delays in Court Proceedings
“Strikes within the judicial system, whether by judges or judicial staff and assistants, constitute a major factor in the disruption or delay of trials,” the Union for the Protection of Juveniles emphasizes. This is compounded by cases of lost or misplaced files, files left without proper follow-up, and the absence of legal representation.
Given this reality, the importance of assigning a  lawyer and their essential role in following up on minors’ cases becomes evident. The presence of a lawyer assigned to attend investigations and court sessions is a key element in monitoring the legal aspects of a minor’s file, especially in cases where the minor is without family or is a foreign national, possibly having arrived in Lebanon alone without any familial accompaniment.
Lawyers in these situations, the Union points out, “face difficulties in taking legal representation of a minor due to their legal incapacity, and some judges even refuse to assign a lawyer at the hearing, despite the fact that this procedure significantly contributes to expediting the case and ensuring the minor’s rights.”
On the other hand, many judges do allow the presence of a lawyer in accordance with Article 47 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which facilitates the possibility of a lawyer attending or being assigned during initial investigations. Accordingly, the Juvenile Protection Office ensures that minors are supported socially and psychologically during the initial investigations and court sessions, and refers them to lawyers contracted with various associations to guarantee that their rights are fully protected.
The gaps caused by the slow pace of trials and sessions highlight the urgent need to expedite judicial procedures, especially since statistics from the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities indicate that around 62 percent of detainees in Lebanon have not yet been sentenced. Article 108 of the Code of Criminal Procedure sets a time limit for pre-trial detention, yet actual practices often exceed these legal limits.
Sablouh confirms that repeated delays and the slow pace of trials now constitute a clear violation of the rights of detained minors.
He cites the case of two minors who had four court sessions scheduled, but the judge refused to hold the sessions online, and there was no means to bring them to the court. She also refused to release them. After being reminded of the obligations under Article 108, the judge eventually decided to release them on bail exceeding $4,000, even though the charge against them (a fabricated accusation of stealing a sheep) was worth no more than $300.
Sablouh believes that the judiciary bears a large part of the responsibility for the current state of juvenile prisons. “Everyone must take responsibility to improve this reality and address existing gaps,” he warns, adding that “if negligence and inaction continue, we will turn the detained minors into criminals in the future.”
Delays and the Case of the Lost Criminal Record
Yasmin sums up her journey with the justice system, and the three court sessions, all of which ended in adjournment, as “The postponed struggle.”
In the session on September 30, 2025, the judge refused to release the two children, pending receipt of their criminal records. Although the court had requested these records on September 25, 2025, it was later said that they had been lost. As a result, the session was postponed to October 14, 2025.
On the scheduled day, Yasmine adds, “We arrived at the court and did not find the children.” When they asked why, they were told: “There is no mechanism to bring minors to court.” The session was postponed again, with the new date set for October 21, 2025. In that session as well, the judge refused to release them, citing the absence of their criminal records. However, after the session was adjourned, the assistant lawyer discovered while recording the minutes that the criminal records were in fact present!
Yasmin says in disbelief: “Three consecutive sessions, and the criminal records were lost each time, then suddenly appear after the session? How can that happen?”
The following day, on October 22, 2025, the judge issued a decision to release the minors, but imposed a bail condition that shocked the family. Yasmin weeps as she says: “The bail amount was 426 million Lebanese pounds, and if I couldn’t pay, they would remain in prison. Where am I supposed to get this money? The two children committed no wrongdoing. They are victims of the injustice we faced, and today I am being asked to pay this sum just to get them out of jail.”
 “When Will I Get Out of Here?”
The majority of crimes committed by minors are theft, followed by drug-related offenses and then homicide, with ages ranging from 12 to 17. Data indicates that most minors come from the North, followed by Beirut and Mount Lebanon.
Charlotte Tannous explains that the most frequently heard phrase at the Juvenile Rehabilitation Center in Warwar is: “When will I get out of here? When is my session?” The legal case is the greatest concern for minors in detention, occupying their thoughts more than anything else.
She adds that one of the main challenges they face is the lack of a dedicated mechanism to transport minors to their court sessions, which leads to delays in trials and obstructs the handling of their files.
On the other hand, the association has begun visiting newly appointed judges to explain their role and the key reforms they aim to achieve. The association hopes that, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, UNICEF, and the European Union, it will finalize a guide detailing all non-custodial measures and procedures that can be applied under the law. The goal of this initiative is to help minors integrate more effectively into society.
Limited Budget for a Difficult Reality
Baaklini acknowledges that conditions in prisons are neither normal nor adequate, stressing that, for him, the issue is a political decision.
After 27 years of working with inmates, he confirms that “the situation has not improved much, for many reasons,” and calls on the Lebanese government and the parliament to increase the prison budget to improve facilities, rehabilitation programs, and the reintegration of former detainees into society. The purpose of prison, he emphasizes, is rehabilitative, especially since minors are still developing and have a greater potential for reform than adults.
When discussing minors in detention, many gaps become evident, creating a fragile reality across multiple levels: slow court proceedings, lack of assigned lawyers, and insufficient means to transport detainees, to a harsher reality concerning the psychological and social support available to this vulnerable group.
The first issue arises from the inability of families to visit their detained children. According to the “Union for the Protection of Juveniles,” the core problem lies in the lack of clarity or consistent implementation of a government circular issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Juvenile Matters. The circular stipulates that parents no longer need to obtain a formal visitation permit from the public prosecutor to see their children, aiming to simplify procedures and reduce administrative burdens. However, this circular is not applied uniformly. Parents are often surprised upon arriving at the prison to be asked for an official visitation permit, forcing them to return to the public prosecutor’s office, where they are once again informed of the circular’s existence. This creates a loop between judicial and administrative authorities.
Therefore, the Union emphasizes the necessity for the Public Prosecution Office to clearly reissue the circular to prison administrations and ensure its implementation. This would guarantee that parents can exercise their right to visit their minors during designated visiting hours, without additional procedures that disrupt family contact and increase the psychological stress on the children.