BEIRUT: Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk vowed Monday not to allow a repeat of torture inside Roumieh Prison, and promised "strict" punishment for the guards involved in beating inmates.

"We are not saints," Machnouk conceded to reporters after a brief visit to the prison, where he met with inmates to follow up on the case of the torture videos that emerged over the weekend showing guards brutally beating prisoners accused of involvement in terrorism.

But “I will not allow for any mistakes... Measures will be within the law, but they will be firm and strict," he said.

Hundreds of people protested in Sunni areas across Lebanon Sunday after evening prayer to condemn the torture, with many calling on Machnouk to resign.

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