Adnan Addoum visited the Yarze penitentiary, complying with a decision of the Court of Justice charging him with the mission of assuring Geagea's detention conditions. He took a clear look at the prison and its cells, its corridors and its visiting room, and didn't hesitate calling it a "Castle of Versailles compared to the Roumieh prison", where tens of prisoners are packed in the same cell. The results of this visit will be one more argument to the prosecutor at the Court of Justice where Geagea is currently being judged for the double attempt to murder Michel Murr - a major argument to reject the protests of the defense lawyers. According to the State prosecutor, Geagea said he does not complain about the conditions of his detention. "I don't want TV or radio, just newspapers and political publications". Upon hearing Geagea demand authorization to write more often to his wife, the security agent accompanying Addoum interfered to say, "But you send her manuscripts pretending they're letters". Geagea replied by saying "Yes, but they're not too bulky". The prosecutor said he congratulated him on his good humor". "When I go to the court, I'm tense", answered Geagea, justifying his bad looks when he is before the Court. Still quoted by Addoum, the leader of the disbanded LF said he is well and is taking care of his health. According to Addoum, he also affirmed that he wanted to "remain under protection of the Lebanese Army". "Even if I'm in the barracks", he added. Addoum later explained that Geagea is detained in a 3m x 3.5m cell with a bathroom. "I went to Yarze thinking it was on the 3rd or 4th floor underground, but it was a great surprise to know that the cell is situated only 10cm below ground level." According to Addoum, "the cell is quite clear. There is a bed, a table on which two bouquets of natural flowers rest on vases beside books and a pile of papers.
Complete diet

The moment the prosecutor arrived, Geagea was eating "yogurt, cereals and cookies". According Addoum, he follows a "complete, strict diet". "Mr. Geagea", he noted, "goes jogging an hour and a half each day in the area that serves as a parking lot for the ministry. The prison is perfectly clean. It is cleaned three times a day with Dettol, an antiseptic product. A corridor, in which officers and soldiers on guard sleep, separates the prison in two parts". As to the conditions under which Geagea meets with his lawyers, they are perfect, according to Addoum. "The detainee is alone with his lawyers at a 4m x 3.5m visiting room. The room has a small entrance giving access to a small room separated from the visiting room by a wooden door that we close. An iron partition divides the room in two. Two tables are placed at each side of the partition. A grilled opening on the partition allows the detainee to communicate with the visitors. If one of the parties wishes to have privacy, all he has to do is talk low. The guard stands outside the door and cannot hear the conversation. He can see the people through the glass. There are no cameras in the room". In the end, the State prosecutor spent two hours in Yarze, from 1 to 3 p.m. Before the journalists, he showed himself to be impressed with what he had seen. He regretted not being able to visit the prison before: "My arguments against the defense would have been more solid and I would have been more energetic in my defense. That is the best prison: the cleanest and safest. The enquiry room is wide, clear and has chairs and a TV. All detainees are satisfied. The cells are perfect compared to other penitentiary facilities. It is indeed the best prison I have already visited", he declared, judging that the prison is "an indicator of a country's degree of civilization". He considered that the Roumieh prison is also "good", but that "it was not conceived to host such a great number of prisoners!



Taken from RDL
Translated by Youssef Cherem