Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Brigadier General, Mohammad Fahmi, and Vice President of Alwaleed Philantrophies Foundation, former Minister Leila Solh Hamadeh, on Friday held at the Interior Ministry’s headquarters a ceremony during which the pair announced the Foundation’s initiative to vaccinate all prisoners, security personnel, and the medical staff in charge of their health care.

“We are in the process of constructing a floor for military emergencies at the request of Lebanese Armed Forces Commander, General Joseph Aoun. Yesterday, we set up the first vaccination center at the Hariri Governmental Hospital, which witnessed the launch of the first campaign in the presence of some senior officials (…). We will, God willing, start vaccinating prisoners and security personnel in the following stages.”

Al-Solh regretted that prisoners were “deprived of health rights, as they are forced to live with each other (…) some of them are also deprived of general amnesty, which they deserve.”

In turn, Minister Fahmi addressed Al-Solh and said, “In light of your public statement that prisoners have the right to vaccination to protect their lives from this vicious pandemic that has spread all over the countries of the world, and in light of your assurance that you are ready to fund these vaccines, I am certain that this humanitarian gesture is one that words fail to describe.”

“I assure your Excellency that the work of the security forces and the medical staff in charge of caring for prisoners have suffered a lot; they faced incalculable difficulties in a bid to protect prisoners and secure a decent life for them,” Fahmi added.

The Minister of Interior and Municipalities went on to affirm that prisoners would be vaccinated before the security forces and medical staff, upon completion of the required logistical work, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health.

“This humanitarian gift is not the first offered by your foundation to prisoners. We have not forgotten the assistance provided by Alwaleed Philantrophies Foundation to rehabilitate most prisons and equip them with the aim of teaching prisoners how to use computers,” Fahmi added, thanking the Foundation for its support to the Internal Security Forces, Public Security, and Civil Defense, in addition to municipalities and many other state institutions.

Minister Fahmi then handed Al-Solh a memorial shield in appreciation of the Foundation.