There are currently at least 20 Lebanese prisoners held in the occupation prisons, as well as at least 1 Palestinian refugee to Lebanon. This number is neither complete nor certain, as the Zionist occupation denies even the existence of the Lebanese prisoners – over half of them abducted after the ceasefire on 27 November 2024. Their circumstances and captivity have largely been revealed by liberated Lebanese and Palestinian detainees, who reported being held with the captives.
A number of the Lebanese prisoners are being held in the notorious underground Rakevet prison, which was previously closed by the Zionist regime in the 1980s due to the poor, dangerous conditions there. Reopened in 2023 by the far-right Zionist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, there are over 100 Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners held there, entirely underground, in total isolation without natural light, subjected to regular beatings, denied adequate food and medical care, and deprived of contact with the outside world. They are shackled at all times, and their cells are monitored 24/7 by surveillance cameras, violating the right to confidential legal consultation. Detainees at Rakevet are subjected to systematic abuse, including beatings, assaults by dogs with iron muzzles, forced use of diapers, continuous loud music ("disco" method), severe food and water deprivation, sexual assault and psychological torture.
The “Israeli” occupation denies even the International Committee of the Red Cross access to these detainees. The ongoing detention of the Lebanese prisoners is part and parcel of the continuing Zionist aggression on Lebanon, including repeated invasions, bombings, assassinations, drone attacks, and an aggressive foreign military presence, particularly in South Lebanon, the Beqaa Valley, and the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. This aggression is being fully supported by the United States and other imperialist powers, including Britain, Germany, France, Canada and Italy, much as these same imperialist forces have funded, armed, and in many cases, directed, the Zionist genocide against the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza over the past two years.
Unfortunately, the Lebanese government has not taken up its required role and responsibilities in demanding the liberation of the detained Lebanese inside the occupation prisons, in all diplomatic arenas and international fora. Instead, it is the Committee of Prisoners and Released Prisoners and the families of the detainees themselves who have taken up this role – and who are calling on the people of the world to join them in fighting for the liberation of their loved ones and an end to the U.S.-Zionist aggression against Lebanon. The Lebanese prisoners are fishers, farmers, workers, family members, and freedom fighters. They are part and parcel of our international movement against imperialism, genocide, Zionism and colonialism.
The imprisonment of the Lebanese detainees comes hand in hand with that of over 9,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Zionist jails, and subjected to the same – and at times even more extreme – experiences of isolation, torture, abuse and starvation. The Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners are engaged in one struggle against colonialism, occupation, Zionism and imperialism.
