Shocking Footage Shows Man Chained For Years In Filthy Rubbish-Strewn Room By His Own Family Who Claimed He Was Mentally Ill From Drugs

Lebanese television cameras captured the harrowing scene inside a cramped, decaying space piled high with plastic bottles, discarded containers and rotting debris. The man, said to be around 35, sat naked on the floor with his knees drawn up, a heavy chain fixed nearby, as reporters from Al Jadeed TV approached him.

Family members told the crew he had developed a mental illness after using drugs and that it was too dangerous to go near him. They said food was simply thrown to him. One relative described the conditions while standing just outside the doorway, insisting the arrangement was necessary.

The report, broadcast on the programme In Length and Width, triggered an immediate response from authorities. Acting on orders from Beirut Public Prosecutor Judge Raja Hammoush, the Information Branch arrested the man’s brother and sister, both Syrian nationals, born in 1984 and 1980, on suspicion of torture and of keeping him restrained in inhumane conditions for a prolonged period.

Further arrests followed. Two additional Syrian suspects were detained after investigators found evidence linking them to the alleged mistreatment and the long-term chaining of the victim.

The man has since been moved to a care facility in Sabra, where officials say he is now receiving proper attention. The case has drawn widespread attention in Lebanon, with the graphic images prompting questions about how such conditions could continue unnoticed and about the pressures facing families dealing with severe mental illness amid the country’s ongoing economic crisis.

Authorities have not released the full identities of those involved, and investigations remain ongoing. The footage, which quickly circulated online, has been described by viewers as among the most disturbing recent reports from the country.