Conflict · 150% capacity · ArchiveLebanon Passes Amnesty Bill as Packed Prison Hits 150% CapacityAired August 13, 2026 at 3:23 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Lebanon's Parliament has just passed the0:02amnesty bill, breaking years of deadlock0:04in which MPs [music] could not agree on0:06what type of amnesty to put forward.0:08Roumieh prison, the biggest prison in0:10Lebanon on the outskirts of Beirut,0:11[music] was built to hold 2,000 people0:13and is now holding more than 3,000,0:15operating at more than 150% of its0:17capacity. The vote followed a rupture0:19inside the chamber when Prime Minister0:21Nawaf Salam did not let Defense Minister0:23Michel Menassa speak, [music] prompting0:25MPs to walk out. That procedural block0:27and walkout underscore how contested the0:29scope remains even as pressure from a0:31facility operating more than 50% [music]0:34over its limit forced a long-delayed0:35decision. What is now unresolved is the0:38final text of the law, the official vote0:40count, [music] and the implementation0:42timeline for who will be released and0:44when. Independent confirmation of those0:46implementation details is still pending0:48[music] as the process moves from0:49passage to execution.0:51For more stories that matter, like0:53[music] and subscribe.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗