Lebanon's prison system is endemically overcrowded and mismanaged. The country's central, and largest, Roumieh prison, located in the outskirts of Beirut, was built with a capacity of 1,500 inmates, but currently holds more than 5,000.
The squalid conditions in which prisoners live have been criticised repeatedly by local and international organisations. Roumieh prison has been the site of a number of prisoners' riots and hunger strike campaigns.
Most recently, Block B of the prison - known as the Block of Terror - was raided by the ISF on January 12 and all inmates were moved to another block.
The nine-hour operation was said to be linked to twin suicide bombings in the northern city of Tripoli earlier the same month. The Lebanese authorities said security forces intercepted calls between Islamist inmates in Block B and the two suicide bombers who carried out the twin attacks.
In addition to the central prison, there are numerous other prisons and detention facilities in Lebanon.
Some fall under the control of either the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces or the military intelligence under the defence ministry. Both institutions are known for their brutal ways.
