Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare.¶

26 June. Prisoners from Dammam Prison manufactured about 750 protective masks daily.

21 June. The prison administration announced a plan to combat the epidemic. Information sessions, tests and sterilization of the premises were planned.

5 June. Different sources stated that medical treatment was denied to sick prisoners. They added that two detainees were presumably infected with the virus at the Al Hayer high-security prison.

24 april. Saudi human rights activist Abdullah al-Hamid died in detention. He was allegedly weakened by “deliberated medical negligence” according to the organization Prisoners of conscience.

Judicial system¶

18 March. The Saudi authorities took the decision to close all courts of law for two weeks.

Sentence adjustments¶

8 April. The king decided temporary suspension of sentences in prison for people in debt in private law cases. These were immediately released.

24 March. The authorities of the country announced the release of hundreds of people detained at Al-Shumaisi prison on 24 March. They specify that these people were imprisoned for violation of the residence permit or for conviction in criminal cases. Prodemocratic activists called for the release of political prisoners due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Contact with the outside world¶

17 August. Relatives of political prisoner Loujain al-Hathloul declared that they had not heard from her for more than two months. Her family is worried about her health.

21 June. The administration announced that they were working to set up virtual communications between inmates and their families.

18 March. Authorities suspended all visits to prisoners.

Appeals and recommendations¶

29 July. A Reporters Without Borders requested the authorities to launch an independent investigation into the death of a prisoner which occurred just after his release.

24 July. The Gulf Center for Human Rights called for the “immediate release” of activist Loujain al-Hathloul. Her family did not hear from her since 9 June.

23 March. The leader of the Palestinian party Hamas requested the release of Palestinian detainees from Saudi jails to limit the spread of COVID-19. At least 68 detainees are present in Saudi prisons because of ties to Hamas.

The Saudi prisoners’ rights organisation “Prisoners of Conscience” launched, in early March 2020, a Twitter campaign calling for the release of prisoners in the context of the spread of the coronavirus. The activists highlighted the deplorable hygienic conditions in Saudi prisons as well as the large number of political prisoners. They insisted that the most vulnerable are the elderly and that they are numerous in Saudi prisons.

Identified cases¶

20 July. The writer Saleh Al-Shehi died following health complications linked to COVID-19, not long after he was released from prison.

21 June. The director of the information and communication department at the General Directorate of Prisons stated that there were no positive cases in the country’s prisons.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

9 April. Reuters was able to hold a phone conversation with a prisoner incarcerated in one of the gaols in Manama. He described prisoners’ conditions. Promiscuity, overcrowding and the lack of protection of prison staff were only a few of prisoners’ concerns.

7 April. In a video, the journalist Mahmoud al-Jaziri gave an account of prison conditions from within Jaw prison. He stated that broadcast reports did not reflect the actual situation in prisons. He particularly noted the lack of ventilation in cells and the absence of measures to mitigate prisoners’ feeling of isolation following the suspension of visits.

Sentence adjustments¶

23 March. The Bahrain Center for Human Rights estimated, on March 23, that around 300 political detainees were among the released. Human Rights Watch considers these insufficient measures as they do not consider politicians or human rights defenders to be imprisoned in the country. The organization recalls the precarious health situation faced by prisoners in Bahrain.

12 March. King Al Khalifa of Bahrain ordered by decree the release of 901 prisoners in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. The prison sentences of another 585 detainees would be commuted to a rehabilitation and training programme.

Contact with the outside world¶

25 February. The prison authorities decide to suspend all of the prisoners visits.

Appeals and recommendations¶

18 April. 67 human rights organisations called on the authorities to proceed with the “immediate release of prisoners”. They said that overcrowding in prisons made it impossible to implement the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).

10 April. The Committee to Protect Journalists urged prison authorities to “immediately stop” retaliating against Mahmoud al-Jaziri. The journalist had been kept in solitary confinement since speaking up on television.

6 April. The Committee to Protect Journalists asked prison authorities to release incarcerated journalists and all other political prisoners.

31 March. The International Center for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms called for the kingdom to sign a decree to release political prisoners.

Identified cases¶

23 November. The Minister of the Interior announced that some female inmates had contracted the virus. The name of the prison was not released.

9 April. No cases had officially been reported in Bahrain’s prisons.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

22 June. The International Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ICJHR) stated in a report that the authorities had “lost control” of the virus in the country’s prisons.

10 June. Prisoners with symptoms were kept isolated from other prisoners. Families were not informed about their whereabouts or their health condition.

13 April. The organisation “Detained in Dubai” regretted the state of Dubai’s prisons, “overcrowded and unsanitary”. No hand sanitiser or soap was handed out. Prisoners, including many expats facing accusations of unpaid bills or rubber cheques, were increasingly worried.

Judicial system¶

13 April. Dubai was considering sanctions, including prison sentences, for involuntarily or deliberately passing on inaccurate information.

Sentence adjustments¶

24 May. The prison administration released hundreds of inmates from the Dubai Central Prison. This measure has allowed for the numbers of prisoners at the Prison to drop by 35 per cent.

15 April. Approximately 400 prisoners from Pakistan who were sentenced for “minor” infractions were released from several of the country’s prisons. The government announced that it would charter special flights to repatriate them to Pakistan.

Contact with the outside world¶

7 December. Inmates in Sharjah (Sharjah Punitive and Correctional Institution) benefit from video calls with their families since the start of the pandemic. More than 540 prisoners had already benefited from the device. Six inmates per day can take a virtual tour. The teams were trying to double this workforce. Special teams, equipped with telecommunication devices, were also called on to visit the families of the inmates to organise a virtual visit.

22 June. The International Campaign for Freedom in the United Arab Emirates (ICFUAE) announced that many families had been unable to have contact with the prisoners for several weeks. They had been given no information about the health of the prisoners.

29 March. The prison administration has set up several online platforms to allow detainees to keep contact with their relatives through distanced visits.

Appeals and recommendations¶

24 April. The human rights organisation, ICFUAE called for the release of prisoners who have completed their sentences. The five political prisoners concerned were due to have been officially released on 16 July 2019.
Indefinite detention is common practice in this country.

Identified cases¶

22 June. The first case was officially identified by the authorities at Al-Wathba prison in Abu Dhabi.

10 June. Families of prisoners in the Al-Wathba, Al-Awir and Al-Barsha prisons announced that some of the prisoners tested positive or showed symptoms of having the virus.

13 April. Dubai announced several cases in its prisons.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

20 April. A number of sources pointed to an increase in instances of torture in prisons where authorities benefitted from impunity since the confinement of prisons. Photos and videos revealed scenes of torture and destitution of prisoners, alongside extreme overcrowding.
The health of prisoners was undermined by illness and poor hygiene. One of them explained: “We live like goats in a lorry on the road to the slaughterhouse”.
The prisoners were also very vulnerable due to the inadequate food provided to them. At the central prison of Nasiriyah, the head of the prison was suspected to have stolen money sent by the families of detainees.

16 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributed hygiene product kits (containing soap and shampoo), disinfecting products, gloves, gowns and protective glasses. These distributions took place in the 27 places of deprivation of liberty in the country where 45 000 people were imprisoned. The ICRC made deliveries to provide prisoners with access to clean water for washing.

1 April Foreign Policy reported that some prisoners corrupted invigilators in order to remain sheltered-in-place in isolation cells. The other prisoners remained in overcrowded collective cells where they had no place to lie down. Foreign Policy added that prisoners started hunger strikes and shared videos calling on authorities to protect them from the epidemic.

The Iraqi Red Cross announced that it had carried out a disinfection and sterilisation campaign for prisons.

24 March. The Minister of Justice announced the putting into place of tests to detect coronavirus infections in several prisons in the country. Several prisoners from Baghdad and Tasfirat prisons were kept in confinement. Supervisors could not leave the premises. They had to undergo a medical examination.

Sentence adjustments¶

16 April. The Supreme Court announced the release of more than 16 000 prisoners, most of whom had been sentenced for minor infractions. It added that a second wave of prisoner release was being discussed.

24 March. The Iraqi parliament reviewed current measures for the release of prisoners for “minor” crimes as well as for those who could benefit from the abandonment of prosecution by the court.

Contact with the outside world¶

10 June. Visits to Kurdistan prisons were suspended. Officials announced that people could communicate by phone.

Appeals and recommendations¶

13 July. The Euro-Mediterranean Network for Human Rights (EMHRN) warned about the sanitary facilities situation inside the country’s prisons. They mentioned that overcrowded prisons lacked essential supplies and were “on the brink of a humanitarian disaster”.

5 July. An official from the Human Rights Commission warned about the “deterioration in health conditions inside prison facilities” in Bagdad where the cases were recorded.

24 March. The  Ministry of Health warned of the consequences of the virus spreading in prison due to overcrowding and lack of preventive measures.

Identified cases¶

9 July. An official source from the Ministry of Health in Kurdistan announced that 48 prisoners had been infected at Garmyan prison.

5 July. Authorities confirmed an outbreak of 31 positive cases at one of the Bagdad prisons.

20 April. The lawyers of a number of prisoners stated that the virus had already penetrated every prison. They suggested however that “ prisoners [were] afraid to say they [were] ill, since they know they [would] be executed“.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

**29 December.**Inmates who contracted the virus in Urmia prison were not receiving any treatment, according to theIran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM). (Doctors cannot make “the right diagnosis” as they visit prisoners for only a couple of hours.)

21 November. Several buses transfered inmates from Evin prison to the Greater Tehran Prison (Fashafuyeh). The mass transfer took place because of the spread of the virus in Evin prison.

11 November. Prison officials at Evin, denied medical treatment to political prisoners Mohammad Banazadeh Amirkhizi and Payam Shakiba, who had symptoms of the virus.

2 November. Reports from Mashhad central prison revealed disastrous sanitation conditions. The reports deplored the state of the toilets and drainpipes. Inmates do not have basic hygiene items, and overcrowding prevents them from being physically distant.

Mahabad prison was found to be overcrowded. It does not have the basic health equipment needed. Some inmates are infected, and are not receiving care.

26 September. The transfer of inmates from Sepidar prison to Shaeyban prison resulted in a deterioration of prison conditions and an increase of COVID-19 cases. Ward 5, with a capacity of 100 beds, is said to hold more than 300 people, with 25 m2 rooms holding up to 60 people. Prisoners were reportedly forced to sleep on the floors in hallways, bathrooms and showers. Authorities have withdrawn any communication about the number of Covid cases.

3  September. The Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre for Human Rights criticised the insufficient measures taken by officials. The Centre denounced the lack of sanitary products, the deteriorating hygiene conditions, the placing of new arrivals with other inmates, as well as the re-incarceration of inmates who had been released when the crisis began. The head of the organisation was concerned about the lack of concrete information regarding the state of the pandemic in prisons and the potential impact of the absence of precautionary measures.

31 July. Amnesty International published official letters proving that the regime ignored repeated appeals from senior prison officials asking for additional resources to limit the spread of the virus.

30 July. Two prisoners committed suicide at the Qarchak prison. One survived his attempt. One of them was suspected of being infected with the coronavirus.

8 July. A report stated that female inmates held in the country’s prisons were under “double pressure” due to prison conditions, the shortage of hygiene products and a lack of access to medical care.

21 June. The Deputy Minister of Justice for Human Rights said he was ready to exchange prisoners with Afghanistan and Pakistan on humanitarian grounds.

17 April. The husband of an Iranian detainee wrote on Facebook that in the Evin prison, families gather in very crowded meeting areas. He added that there was a shortage of gloves and masks in the prisons.

16 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) committed 475 000 Euros for its Iranian branch so that it could carry on its work of disinfection of prisons, examination and treatment of people suspected of infection by the virus.

7 April. Hygiene measures were very difficult to carry out in Iranian prisons. Prisoners could go several days without water, making it impossible for them to wash their hands.
In Sepidar prison, management had decided to put an end to the distribution of soap the previous year, because they could no longer afford it. Consequently, prisoners had to buy their own soap.

Overcrowding in the prisons of Sepidar and Sheiban was close to 250%. Initially designed for 2 000 prisoners, the buildings housed 4 000 and 5 000 prisoners respectively.
There was a quarantine cell in Sepidar prison. It was more often used as a solitary confinement cell. The previous year, a prisoner held in that cell had been infected by tuberculosis.

4 April. Prisoners stated that their cells were not disinfected. Neither prison authorities nor prisoners had access to basic protection against the epidemic. The authorities requested that its agents not wear masks or gloves when they had them, so as to not cause panic among the prisoners or incite further riots.

Prisoners received soap, shampoo, laundry detergent and bleach, in limited amounts, only once for several months. There was a lack of hot water and few showers were available. In Cell 4 of Fashfuyeh prison, prisoners had access to six sinks and four showers. There were 450 prisoners. The hospitalisation of ill prisoners would be impossible due to the debt contracted by the prison authorities vis-à-vis Iran’s hospital system.

Judicial system¶

27 June. Authorities proceeded to exchange prisoners with Tadjikistan for sanitary reasons.

15 June. A student arrested and imprisoned since April reportedly contracted the virus. The regime was said to have secretly executed a Kurdish political prisoner at the central prison of Oroumieh.

Sentence adjustments¶

23 May. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei pardoned or commuted the prison sentences of 3,721 inmates on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.

20 April. Hassan Rouhani announced the extension of the furlough granted to 100 000 prisoners. The date of their return to prison was set for 20 May.

4 April. The Ministry of Health stated that all temporarily released prisoners would be tested when they went back to prison. In the absence of an extension, the 100 000 prisoners conditionally released would return to prison on 19 April.

20 March. Iran temporarily released 85 000 prisoners. The rate of the spread of the disease in the country led to fears of an extreme deterioration of prison conditions in overcrowded, unsanitary prisons that could offer only very limited access to medical care. There were not enough testing kits available. Witnesses revealed that dozens of prisoners were suffering from a persistent cough and a high temperature. State television specified that 10 000 other prisoners had been pardoned on the occasion of Norouz, Iran’s traditional festival.

3 March. The government announced that 54 000 prisoners who had tested negative had been temporarily released. The decision was taken to prevent the spread of the virus in an environment in which promiscuity was the main danger.

Contact with the outside world¶

9 May Families of the prisoners gathered in front of Shaiban prison and demanded to know the fate of their loved ones.

10 April. Politician Maryam Rajavi indicated that the prison administration cut the telephone lines of the prisons.

Acts of protest¶

25 November. A riot erupted in Urmia prison. About one-hundred inmates demanded basic hygiene supplies and protested against “holding prisoners after their term is over”. Prison guards quelled the movement. At least 15 inmates were hospitalised due to “the severity of their beatings”. The prison’s telephone service was cut off so that news about the event could not get out.

25 August. About 20 young prisoners who were held in solitary confinement at Dastgerd prison in Isfahan began a hunger strike to protest the inhuman conditions of the prison. They have asked to be transferred into collective cells.

12 August. Political prisoner Nasrin Sotoudeh began a hunger strike to denounce the severe detention conditions since the beginning of the pandemic.

23 June. Staff at Urmia prison refused to come to work for fear of being infected by the virus. They criticised the lack of measures implemented by the prison’s management.

12 May. Prisoners set fire to the high security quarter of the Urmia prison in protest against their detention conditions. The high security section kept 150 prisoners for 50 places.  

19 April. Six detainees in the Sanandaj Prison of Kurdistan were sent to solitary confinement to await their execution.

12 April. The authorities ordered the execution of a prisoner accused of being one of the ringleaders of a major breakout.

9 April. Amnesty International quoted a “credible source” condemning the response to protests. Dozens of prisoners who had protested against sanitary conditions in prison had been killed since the end of March, and hundreds of others had been killed by security forces.

7 April. France 24 reported on protests in the prisons of Sepidar, Sheiban and Urmia. Prisoners demanded that they be released even if they could not afford to pay bail, which ranged from €250 000 to €625 000).

Prison directors announced that no prisoners had died in the clash with security forces. However, sources for France 24 said they had counted 38 body bags in the morgue of the city of Ahvaz, where the prisons of Sepidar and Sheiban were located.
The prisoners who had taken part in riots in Sheiban prison were stripped naked and beaten in the courtyard.

2 April. An underage prisoner who had taken part in protests in the Iranian province of West Azerbaijan died in “suspicious circumstances”. It is “possible” that he was beaten to death by guards in retaliation.

29 March. Inmates broke barriers and surveillance cameras at the Adel Abad prison in Chiraz. No prisoners were hurt nor escaped during this riot.

27 March. The press agency for the Islamic Republic announced the escape of 74 inmates from Saqqez prison, 54 of whom were still at large.

21 March. An escape attempt occurred at Parsilon prison in Khorramabad, in the west of the country. A coordinated attack between the inside and the outside led to an assault. The assailants killed two or three guards. 250 prisoners tried to escape. Guards and law enforcement officers opened fire. Several prisoners were killed. Checkpoints were set up and martial law was proclaimed. The authorities searched neighbouring houses to find the fugitives. Witnesses mentioned the refusal of prison authorities to place the prisoners infected with COVID-19 under quarantine. They were not offered any medical treatment or hygiene products. The authorities warned prisoners’ families that they had to see to those basic services.

Appeals and recommendations¶

21 November. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) called all human rights organisations to take urgent action regarding the “appalling” prison conditions. The NCRI called for an international fact-finding mission “to visit the prisons and meet the prisoners, especially political prisoners”.

6 October. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet requested the government to unconditionally release the prisoners detained by arbitrary means ”respecting to expressing their opinions or claiming their rights (…)”. The High Commissioner recalled in her press release that the prisoners concerned “should not be treated more severely or exposed to a greater risk”.

16 September. U.N. Human Rights Council experts called on the authorities to release human rights defenders, who were reported to be imprisoned in unsanitary conditions that are particularly inadequate.

1 September. Sixty political prisoners wrote an open letter alerting to the spread of COVID-19 in “numerous Fashafuyeh prison cells in Tehran”.

25 August. Politician Maryam Rajavi made a call for action to save the inmates of Qarchak prison. They were facing “catastrophic” detention conditions without any protection from the virus and were subjected to inhuman degrading treatment.

22 July. Experts from the United Nations Human Rights Council demanded to the regime to free Narges Mohammadi. Detained at Zanjan prison, the journalist and activist presented distinctive symptoms of COVID-19.

23 June. A 66-year-old Iranian-British prisoner requested his release in London. Incarcerated in Evin Prison, he was worried about his health.

23 April. Michelle Bachelet reminded Iranian authorities that an “independent and impartial” investigation had to be carried out to shed light on the conditions of the death of the child who died in Miandoab prison on 2 April. He would have reportedly been beaten to death by prison guards for protesting detention conditions during the pandemic.

17 April. UN called for the release of “all political and foreign prisoners” from Iranian prisons. Most of the detained foreigners, dual nationals and human rights campaigners were excluded from recent releases.

10 April. Member of the opposition Maryam Rajavi called international organisations to “save the lives of prisoners”. She warned about the refusal to release political prisoners, which could represent a “crime against humanity in Iranian prisons”.

Death penalty¶

23 April. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, condemned the execution in four days of two underage prisoners. One of the minors was among the 80  prisoners who attempted to escape from Saqez prison following an uprising against prison conditions during the pandemic. Bachelet reminded that “the execution of these two children was absolutely prohibited by international human rights law”.

Identified cases¶

29 December. A female inmate in Urmia prisondied from COVID-19.

28 December. Three inmates died from COVID-19 in Evin prison. None of them had been treated.

27 December. One man died from the virus in the Urmia prison infirmary.

21 November. At least seven prisoners died from COVID-19 in Evin prison. There has been no official report: the number of deaths could be higher.

10 November. Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was just released from Quarchak prison, tested positive for COVID-19 which she contracted in prison. A week prior to her release, she told her husband that the virus had spread in her ward and that many inmates had become sick.

2 November. COVID -19 cases multiplied among inmates and staff at Mahabad prison. No exact numbers of infections and deaths were available. One inmate is thought to have died from the virus the previous month, but it was attributed to cardiac complications.

5 October. Political opponent Farhad Meysami, detained at ** Rajaei Shahr ** prison, tested positive. The next morning, he was transferred to a “secure area” within the prison to be isolated. This room is said to be the size of a single cell and has no medical facilities.

23 June. Three members of staff were infected by the virus at Urmia prison. They were told to self-isolate at home.

2 June. Kurdish political prisoner Zeinab Jalalian tested positive.

11 May. President Hassan Rohani admitted for the first time the magnitude of the health crisis in the country’s prisons. He reported that 100 people had tested positive in a prison holding 120 inmates.  

17 April. Celebrity Fatemeh Khishvand was transferred to a hospital after having contracted coronavirus in prison. She was placed on a ventilator.
Her lawyer asked the authorities to issue a general order of conditional release, since his client was not released with the others implicated in the case. He added: “in the absence of judges who are either sick or in confinement, this is the only solution”.

13 April. At least seven prisoners had died from the virus at Urmia Central Prison in March. In total, more than 100 prisoners had been infected.
The authorities continued to deny that the epidemic had spread to Urmia Central Prison.

7 April. It was suspected that at least three prisoners in Sepidar prison had been infected and at least one prisoner had died in Sheiban prison.

4 April. It was announced that prisoners incarcerated in Fashfuyeh prison had died of meningitis and tuberculosis at the beginning of the year. Iranwire hypothesised that these announcements had been made to conceal the rise in the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 in the country’s prisons.

12 March. A prisoner had witnessed several deaths caused by COVID-19 in Fashfuyeh prison. A nurse in the same prison was a carrier for the virus according to a temporarily released prisoner.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

16 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) provided the various detention centres in the country with hygiene and protection equipment.

9 April. Penal Reform International (PRI) distributed sanitary equipment and hygiene products intended for prisoners and prison staff. The organisation ensured that the establishments had all the information necessary for the implementation of prevention measures.

Judicial system¶

4 July. The authorities announced the use of electronic bracelets to ensure compliance with the order of one-month of compulsory quarantine for all entering the country.

1 June. The Committee to Protect Journalists called for the release of a Bangladeshi journalist detained since April without access to his lawyer.

21 March. Nearly 400 people are arrested for non-respect of the curfew decided by the authorities in the context of spread of the Covid-19 virus. Sentences can go up to one year of imprisonment.

Sentence adjustments¶

18 March. The State Security Court decided to release 1 500 defendants arrested for national security offences to counter the spread of the COVID-19.

Contact with the outside world¶

13 May. Prison visits were resumed for Wednesdays and Sundays.

Acts of protest¶

14 March. The authorities announced a ban on prisoners visits. These measures led to a riot in the Irbid provincial prison, where two prisoners died.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare.¶

18 March. The administration announced that it was screening new prisoners for COVID-19 and placing them in quarantine for 14 days.

Judicial system¶

17 May. The Ministry of Health announced that anyone caught not wearing protective masks could be sentenced to a maximum of three months of prison.

22 March. Kuwait imprisoned three Egyptian residents for a period of twelve days due to the dissemination of false information about the coronavirus epidemic. A Kuwaiti citizen was sentenced to twelve days in prison for posting information on Tweeter that dozens of Egyptians infected with COVID-19 are currently in the hospital. According to the Al-Qabas newspaper police denied the information.

18 March. Authorities requested that police forces temporarily suspend investigations of people suspected of financial crimes.

Sentence adjustments¶

18 March. The country’s prison administration released dozens of people detained in its prisons.

Contact with the outside world¶

18 March. The Ministry of the Interior decided to suspend visits to prisoners.

Identified cases¶

12 June. The authorities announced that 285 inmates had been infected in the country’s central prison.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

4 December. The World Health Organization (WHO) should cover hospital costs for a number of inmates who contracted the virus.

7 May. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) declared that it was providing hygienic kits for the detained population and personal protective equipment for prison staff to 12 prisons in addition to Roumieh prison. In Roumieh prison, the ICRC reported that a dedicated swab sampling room was in use, and that an equipped quarantine ward for positive detainees or those suspected to be positive was being set up.

22 April. A security source announced that the administration was preparing to convert a section of the Roumieh maximum security prison into a hospital. According to the source, the extensive security measures needed to transfer prisoners make it difficult to send them to public hospitals. The administration estimated that the facility had capacity for 150 to 200 patients with COVID-19.

16 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) worked with the prison administration in Roumieh prison in order to improve the quality of equipment and to set up isolation cells for suspected or proven cases of infection with the virus.

31 March. Internal Security Forces
indicated that no COVID-19 cases were reported in the Roumieh prison. It added that “all inmates in all prisons are safe”.

30 March. Association of Lebanese Industrialists provided cleaning supplies, disinfectants and food to 30 prisons. Lawyers investigating the prisons have found them cramped and unsanitary.

Judicial system¶

The State prosecutor ordered judges to hold off on pretrial detentions unless “absolutely necessary”.

8 June. The Ministry of Justice and the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) announced the gradual resumption of judicial activity. Hearings that require the physical presence of the parties would not be resumed until 22 June.

Sentence adjustments¶

17 June. 500 prisoners were released from prisons in the north of the country.

5 April. The Minister of Home Affairs announced that 559 people were released from prison.

28 March. Lebanese judiciary decided to interrogate detainees via “virtual platforms” in order to accelerate the pace of investigations. The Bar reported having received many official requests for release. A call centre was set up to handle these calls. One judiciary source indicated that the responsibility for decisions about amnesties and conditional releases lies with the government and the Lebanese parliament.

23 March. Sources close to the Ministry of Justice indicated that Minister Marie Claude Najm is currently working on the conditional release of prisoners awaiting their sentence or incarcerated for so-called minor offenses.

Contact with the outside world¶

22 April. Prison administration limited the number of family visits. Visitors were being tested when entering prisons. Detainees and families would no longer be in direct contact. They would be separated by plexiglas and communicate via telephone.

Acts of protest¶

30  September. Inmates at Roumieh prison threatened  suicide in order to pressure authorities to approve an amnesty law.

22 September. Families of inmates rallied and blocked traffic in front of Roumieh prison to demand the release of people detained inside.

20 September. Inmates at Roumieh prison posted videos on social networks following the COVID outbreak in prison. They threatened “to open the prisons and escape”. They called on the families to demonstrate in front of the facility.

8 July. Violence between prisoners and guards erupted of Roumieh. These events were followed by the administration’s attempt to isolate prisoners who were believed to be responsible for past riots.

7 April. Dozens of prisoners set their beds on fire at Qubbah prison in Tripoli. The prisoners called for a general amnesty amid the coronavirus pandemic. Families of prisoners gathered at the entrance to the prison. The Lebanese Army stated that family members attacked prison security forces with stones. The Army reported that 13 soldiers were injured.

6 April. Security forces found out a several-metre-long tunnel under the Zahle prison. Several prisoners and a member of the administration were injured during the operation. Families of prisoners argued that this escape attempt was due to fear of the spread of the virus in prisons.

29 March. Some inmates from Zahle prison asked to be released. Some started a hunger strike.

23 March. Ninety percent of prisoners continued their hunger strike, except for the sick and the elderly. They demanded general amnesty and affirmed their right to be informed of all health risks. Visits are limited to just one family member. They take place in visiting rooms with separation systems.

16 March. Two riots occurred in the overcrowded prisons of Rumaniah and Zahle. These events followed the demands of prisoners for their temporary release in fear of the spread of COVID-19 within the facilities.
These are not requests and mainly concern persons detained for so-called “minor” offences such as drug use or possession. A dozen prisoners began a hunger strike on 16 March.

Appeals et recommendations¶

14 September. Melhem Khalaf, president of the Bar of Beirut warned that the situation inside Roumieh prison was a “human time bomb” since the appearance of the first cases. The prison was filled with more than three times its capacity and videos showed the impossibility of physical distancing. Khalaf asked the authorities to take urgent measures to reduce the overcrowding.

20 May. The medical association denounced the inhumane health conditions in the country’s prisons. It demanded that masks, gloves and disinfectants be provided to prisoners, as well as demanding their speedy release.

Identified cases¶

12 November. The Directorate General of Homeland Security declared new positive cases in various prisons that were already infected in October: 535 cases at Roumieh prison, 67 at the prison of the Beirut courthouse, four at Batroun prison and two at Zahle prison.

26 October. The Director General of Homeland Security declared a number of positive cases in different prisons: Roumieh (473 cases, 381 in the recovery phase); Beirut courthouse prison (40 cases); Batroun (19 cases); Zahle (5 new cases, 237 fully recovered.)

28 September. Authorities reported 237 positive cases among the 556 inmates in Zahle prison. Roumieh prison counts 377 positive cases. Seven patients were hospitalized. Considering the sudden increase in the number of cases in detention, an amnesty law is reportedly under discussion.

23 September. Officials reported 352 cases of COVID-19 at Roumieh prison, the largest in the country. Seven of them were hospitalised, and the others remained stable. The sudden rise in the number of infections was cause for concern.

Judicial system¶

30 March. The Department of Justice announced the establishment of fines and prison sentences to repress the violation of movement restrictions imposed as well as the spread of rumors concerning the pandemic. Some were placed in custody to allow for investigations.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

18 May. Six foreign prisoners interviewed by Human Rights Watch denounced the deteriorating conditions of Doha central prison, after several positive cases were suspected. The prisoners reported that there were no alcohol sanitizers and limited access to soap and water. They also said that social distancing is impossible due to overcrowding in the facilities.

Judicial system¶

17 May. Official television announced that people caught without protective masks could be sentenced to a maximum of three years of prison.

24 March. Riots broke out in Qatari penal institutions. Detainees from cells 2 and 3 of Doha central prison attacked a guard and burned several cells. The same source said that the administration refused to release prisoners despite the spread of COVID-19 in prisons. The mutineers were placed in solitary confinement and deprived of water, food and cigarettes. Some of them were transferred to a prison in the heart of an industrial center despite the quarantine due to the spread of COVID-19.

Sentence adjustments¶

22 April. Emir Al Thani pardoned a “number of prisoners” in response to the health situation in prisons and on the occasion of the month of Ramadan.

Acts of protest¶

22 March. Riots broke out in Doha prison. The inmates of cells 2 and 3 attacked a guard and burned several cells.
Protesters were placed in solitary confinement and deprived of food, water and cigarettes.

Appeals and recommendations¶

17 July. Permanent Representative to the United Nations emphasised the importance of improving the conditions of detention in prisons in response to the epidemic. He declared that he wanted “to ensure a healthy and protected environment while reducing overpopulation”.

Identified cases¶

6 May. A total of 47 positive cases were reported unofficially. This report has not been confirmed by Qatar authorities.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

13 August. COVID-19 has spread within the al-Hol detention camp in the northeast region of the country.

15  May. The Syrian lawyer Amal al-Nasin described the living conditions of prisoners during the pandemic in Le Monde newspaper. She noted the lack of ventilation, the rats and the pestilential smell. The lack of natural light and the deficiency in care made prisoners “the most vulnerable out of the vulnerable” during the pandemic. She reported that certain cells measuring 4 meters by 6 [accommodated] up to 50 inmates. 

16 April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributed kits of hygiene products (containing soap and shampoo), disinfectants, gloves, gowns and protective glasses in the central prisons of the country controlled by the regime. It made sure that prisoners had access to clean water for washing.

14 April. The STJ organisation expressed its concern about the regime using the virus to “get rid of the detainees”. It reported that the Red Cross visited the main prisons but was not allowed to enter the Adra and Suwayda prisons. According to the testimonies of some freed prisoners all detention centres are full. In the Mezzeh military prison, cells measuring 24 square metres contained about 80 prisoners.

The STJ said guards and detainees were not practicing self-distancing. The large number of Iranians working in the Syrian prisons increased tensions, given the serious spread of the virus in the Iranian population.

Judicial system¶

16 July. The Ministry of Justice announced that a sentence of up to three years in prison was now in place for anyone failing to report to the authorities if suspected of having Covid-19.

Sentence adjustments¶

22 March. the Syrian state announced, the signing of an amnesty decree. The first case was recorded on the same day among the Syrian population.

Acts of protest¶

17 May. Local sources announced that seven Daesh members escaped from Al-Hol prison in the country’s north-east. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported that four of them have been re-captured.

2 May. Imprisoned members of the Islamic State group rioted and temporarily took control of the Hassakeh prison in the north of the country.

11 April. Amnesty International reported that tear gas and real bullets were used by authorities to counter protests in two prisons in the city of Ahvaz. Nearly 15 Sepidar Prison inmates and some twenty more from the Sheiban Prison were killed.

29 March. A large number of inmates, some of whom are foreigners thought to belong to ISIS, set off a huge riot in the Ghouiran prison in the province of Hasaka. At least 12 inmates managed to escape according to Syrian TV.

Appeals and recommendations¶

17 June. A doctor who was a former detainee sent a letter to Vladimir Putin urging him to put pressure on his Syrian ally to consider releasing prisoners and improve prison conditions. He explained that an outbreak of COVID-19 would be a “death sentence” for detainees.

14 April. The Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) organisation called for the release of all detainees and a halt to prison sentencing.

9 April. A former prisoner of Sednaya, at Omar al-Shogre, warned on the deplorable state of health of prisoners in the country. He said it was only a matter of time before the virus spreads to prisons. “Of all Syrians, it is very likely that prisoners were those who suffered the most” he added.

30 March. The Special Rapporteur for the United Nations in Syria called for authorities to release prisoners, stressing the importance of human rights defense organizations to keep traveling to places of deprivation of liberty to ensure medical protection and access to healthcare.

25 March. Families of prisoners launched a petition demanding the release of all prisoners currently detained in the regime’s prisons and unofficial detention centres. The 100 000 prisoners of the regime live in very harsh conditions. Many people displaced by the war are also living in overcrowded camps. The potential spread of coronavirus in the camps was described as an “unimaginable horror”.

23 March. ”Le Collectif des familles unies”, a human rights group, appealed to France to repatriate the French children imprisoned in the Syrian camps of Al Hoj and Roj, citing concerns about contagion inside these “unsanitary and overcrowded” camps.

23 March. Doctors specified that a spread of the COVID-19 virus in the country would have a “devastating” effect.

Identified cases¶

14 July. An American general stated that there had been no sign that the virus had spread in prisons in the north of the country, amid the violence in recent months.

23 March. According to statistics and images transmitted by a source, hundreds of people are said to have died because of the coronavirus in prisons in the Syrian capital. Nearly a thousand detainees are suspected to be infected at Adra prison and dozens in “critical condition”.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

19 November. Cells used as quarantine wards for inmates in some prisons pose “a grave danger” because of their size and lack of hygiene. They are “narrow and stuffy”. Turkey’s Human Rights Association expressed its concern about the hygiene problem in prisons: “COVID-19 proves fatal especially for people with chronic diseases. Since April 15, four seriously ill prisoners aged over 70 have lost their lives“.

17 November. Prisoners were forced to spend more than two weeks in quarantine at Silivri prison in Istanbul. The prison administration does not officially begin the quarantine process until cells reach their full capacity of 30 prisoners, which may take several months. The association of independent lawyers, ÖHD, denounced the process of prolonged quarantine as a violation of prisoners’ fundamental rights. They also emphasized the poor sanitation in cells and the lack of cleaning products.

10 November. Inmates in the province of Van received only a cup each of bleach and liquid detergent over the eight months of the pandemic. “Infirmary visits were reduced from twice to once a week”, and the administration imposed water consumption quotas on the inmates. Access to healthcare, which is already limited, was ”further restricted” during the pandemic.

29 October. The deficiencies within the health protocols that are necessary to limit the spread of the virus were revealed in Elazığ prison. A visit by the human rights association Diyarbakır Branch of Human Rights Association noted the lack of regular hygiene on telephone handsets in addition to the non-surveillance of physical distancing by the staff during cell searches. Hygiene and cleaning products were not provided during the pandemic. Prisoners have obtained them on their own.

8 October. An increase of positive cases at Kastamonu, Manisa and Izmir prisons provoked immense panic among the families of political prisoners. They additionally claimed that their detained relatives were “left to die” in overcrowded spaces shared by 30 to 40 people. Those who tested positive were not isolated from others. A relative mentioned that: “Nine inmates in his cell tested positive. The coronavirus has spread in Kastamonu prison, but no one cares about the health of these people”.

1 October. The organisation Civil Society in the Penal System (CISST)  published a compilation of eyewitness reports on prison conditions.  Health safety supplies are lacking (sanitizers, masks…), there is less cleaning of premises, staff members conduct body searches without adhering to safety protocols.  The water is continually dirty. There are regular cutbacks. Bathrooms and toilets are old and dilapidated.

7 August. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)denounced the overcrowding in prisons, despite early releases in April. They added that they had gathered various testimonies that mentioned the excessive use of force and harsh physical treatment.

4 July. A lawyer reported that the prison administration had left three disabled prisoners alone to die in their cells. He added that the limited links between the prison and the outside world had had a negative impact on disabled prisoners’ ability to access healthcare.

18 June. Vehicles, common areas and visitors’ places were disinfected. Authorities say they distributed masks, gloves and hygiene products to prisoners. Thermal cameras were set up and inmates’ temperatures had to be taken.

7 June. More than 40 people detained in the same cell at Silivri prison might have contracted the virus. The administration indicated that in view of the lack of available tests, detainees must choose four amongst them to be tested. They mentioned that prisoners who would go to hospital would be placed in solitary confinement upon their return to prison.

The administration indicated that in view of the lack of available tests, detainees must choose four amongst them to be tested. They mentioned that prisoners who would go to hospital would be placed in solitary confinement upon their return to prison.

29 May. The civil society in the penal system (CISST) association reported serious complaints from 77 prisons about the conditions of detention during the epidemic. Overcrowding, poor hygiene, hampered access to care and poor-quality food were particularly noted.

5 June. Inmates from open prisons were released until 31 July.

20 May. The Minister of Health allegedly asked authorities at Silivri prison to stop testing prisoners who were showing symptoms.

12 May. Silviri prison administration claimed that letters sent to prisoners caused the spread of the pandemic in prison.
One lawyer pointed out that 20 infected prisoners were held in the same cell.

The organisation Civil Society in the Penal System (CISST) published a report relaying complaints received from prisoners between 29 April and 12 May. Prisoners described the overcrowding and the impossibility of social distancing inside prisons during the pandemic. The report also documented medical neglect and the increasing isolation of prisoners.

8 May. The Civil Society in the Penal System Association (CİSST) reported that the disinfection of wards and temperature testing, some of which was done in the first days of the outbreak, were not systematic nor sufficient. It also underlined that body and ward searches were still being done in certain prisons of the country.
Kurdish journalist Nedim Türfent reported on detention conditions during the pandemic in the Van High-Security prison in a letter. Among other rights violations, he cited cases of isolation medical negligence.

4 May. A prisoner detained in the high-security Kandıra No. 2 Prison reported that prison administration had given a bar of soap to each inmate two months prior. Since then, when prisoners asked whether they could buy more, they were told that the prison had run out. The detainee also said that sick prisoners were placed in one-person wards then reintegrated into their group wards after just a few days of observation.

23 April. Kurdish MP Züleyha Gülüm and the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) described the conditions of detention during the pandemic. Some penal facilities were not disinfected. Prisoners could buy disinfectants but they were expensive and of poor quality. Hygienic products and gloves were not available (even for purchase) or distributed in very limited numbers. Masks were sold at the price of 17 liras per unit (around 2.25 euros). Some prisons had only liquid soap. In the Düzce prison, prisoners indicated they had the soaps they had bought removed. They did not have access to hot water or drinking water. Sick prisoners were not brought to the hospital. In the Kandıra prison, prisoners had no sanitary products. Only soap was distributed to them in the early days of the epidemic.

18 April. No disinfectant was handed out in Bafra prison, or the women’s section in Şakran prison. The four cells of that specific section were disinfected only every two weeks. One of those cells was turned into a quarantine cell. The associations pointed out that the quarantine cell had an opening onto the other cells, making the spread of the virus a probability. No particular hygiene measures were observed when food was handed out.

30 March. The Minister of Justice announced that as of March 30, prison staff will no longer be permitted to leave after their shift. They will stay in specially managed isolated locations within the facilities. The Minister added that all audiences have been suspended until April 30.

29 March. The Ministry of Justice announced the monthly production of 1.5 million masks by inmates in six prisons. Workers would also produce gowns for nurses and surgeons.

27 March. The human rights organization CISST announced that it received 26 complaints from prisoners between 20 and 24 March. The prisoners’ complaints concerned the impossibility of social distancing in overcrowded prisons. They claimed that hygiene products and masks were not being made available to them, although they could be purchased in the canteen. They reported that getting access to water was challenging, although cuts occurred frequently. Complaints also concerned the non-separation of vulnerable people from other prisoners. They asserted that medical examinations were rare and, even when an inmate’s temperature reached 38.5 degrees Celsius, no screening tests for COVID-19 were carried out.

Judicial system¶

The requests for early release of lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal, filed with the 37th Criminal Chamber of Istanbul, were rejected.

11 June. The courts resumed normal operations after a two-month hiatus.

13 April. The Minister of the Interior gave notice that all scheduled hearings were on hold. He added that court appearances decreased by 95% and visits to notary offices by 80%.

16 March. The Turkish courts announced the postponement of the hearings scheduled due to the spread of COVID-19. Only exceptional measures are taken, such as the issuance of arrest warrants. The Minister of Justice announced the suspension of visits for the 282 000 people officially detained in Turkish prisons.

Sentence adjustments¶

18 June. The Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses stated that it had temporarily released 64 661 prisoners.

31  March. The government appointed house arrest for prisoners over the age of 65, mothers of children under the age of six, and sick people. People having served at least half of their sentence were eligible for parole. The duration of the probationary period was fixed to three years.

1  May. The suspension of visits and activities was extended to 15 May. Lawyers would be able to visit prisoners on an exceptional basis, provided they are equipped with gloves and masks.

15 April. The Turkish parliament voted on a law that should lead to the release of 90,000 prisoners in the country. It allowed the sentencing judge to release on bail any prisoner with good conduct if he or she had already served half of the sentence. The period of release under judicial supervision had been extended to a maximum of 3 years. Seriously ill people and prisoners who were pregnant or had just given birth would be released, placed under judicial supervision or placed under house arrest. This law also provided exceptional leave until 31 May for prisoners in “open prisons”. Prisoners convicted or suspected of being under “anti-terrorism laws” would not be able to benefit from these provisions. The opposition criticised this law harshly to the extent that it excluded political prisoners from its scope. The daily Cumhuriyet wrote: “Authors of femicide, rapists, and pedophiles were released, but not prisoners of conscience”.

11 April. Parliament approved 17 clauses of the law that would see the release of prisoners. The clauses included expanding the authority of judges on parole, prison transfers and appeal deadlines.

6 April. Proposed legislation for the conditional release of prisoners was debated in Parliament. The legislation could affect up to one-third of the country’s prisoners.

Contact with the outside world¶

8 December. People incarcerated in the Black Sea region have been deprived of communication with the outside world. Rize / Kalkandere, Trabzon, Giresun / Espiye, Ordu and Samsun / Bafra prisons reportedly prevented prisoners from contacting relatives and lawyers by telephone. Sending and receiving mail is not possible.

17 November. The association of independent lawyers, ÖHD, witnessed the suppression of external ties at Silivri prison in Istanbul. Prisoners, many of which were described as political, had no access to their mail and were not allowed to engage in physical or cultural activities. Petitions from prisoners were sent to the prison administration but remain unanswered.

3 June. The wife of the journalist carrying COVID-19 and returned to prison does not have contact with him since 4 May.

8 May. The Civil Society in the Penal System Association (CİSST) highlighted the fact that newspapers and letters were not being given to prisoners in certain institutions “in the name of precaution”.

30 March. An initiative has been launched to develop videoconferencing as an alternative to family visits.

Acts of protest¶

10 August. A depute in opposition of the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) announced that three prisoners went on a hunger strike to denounce their detention conditions at Elazığ prison.

15 June. Two groups of activists from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) gathered respectively in front of the Edirne prison and an establishment in the vicinity of Istanbul. They demanded the release of political opponents.

Appeals and recommendations¶

10 November. “Turkey’s Human Rights Association” urged the authorities to ensure that the human rights of inmates in the province of Van are respected. The association denounced the lack of access to adequate health and sanitation measures amid the pandemic.

2 October. An MP in opposition addressed parliamentary questions to the Minister of Justice regarding the violation of the rights of prisoners of Düzce and İskenderun since the beginning of the pandemic. The MP asked the minister about the number of cases and deaths attributed to the virus there. He also noted the lack of access to water in one of the facilities which lasted for weeks.

30 July. The Istanbul Institute of Forensic Medicine published a report indicating that the lawyers Ebru Timtik and Aytaç Ünsal could not remain in prison, given their health state.

30 June. Amnesty International declared the release of 11 human rights defenders. A final ruling on the case would be given on 3 July.

27 May. A proKurdish party sounded the alarm regarding the deterioration of the health situation of political prisoners, who had been excluded from early release measures.

25 April. A parliamentarian for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) pointed out that certain dispositions within the new release bill passed by Turkey’s parliament were unfair. One of the articles dictates that newspapers which were no longer receiving advertisements from the Press Advertisement Agency (BİK) would not be allowed to report inside prisons to provide information on detention conditions. So far, at least two daily newspapers that have a reputation for critical coverage would be barred.

23 April. MP Züleyha Gülüm called for respect for the “right to health” of prisoners .

She required that hygiene products be distributed free of charge to all prisoners. Cells and common rooms must be disinfected regularly. The administration must provide everyone entering prison with protective equipment and clothing.

She also called for the release of sick prisoners, people over 60, pregnant women, women with their children and political prisoners. They had, thus far, been massively excluded from release on bail.

18 April. The Federation of Associations in Solidarity with Prisoners’ Families criticised unequal treatment in terms of the recently voted amnesty law. It also sounded the alarm regarding human rights violations such as acts of torture committed at Afyonkarahisar prison and death threats made by guards at Bolu prison. The Federation called for the reduction of prisoners in the country. It demanded that essential healthcare be made available to released persons, as well as the most vulnerable prisoners. Finally, it wanted prison authorities to observe the right of prisoners to communicate with the outside world.

3 April. Human Rights Watch demanded that authorities include prisoners accused of terrorism who are suffering from underlying medical conditions among those eligible for release.

30 March. Amnesty International is concerned that the release measures being planned by parliament do not apply to journalists, human rights activists and any other person in jail “for simply having exercised his/her rights“. The organisation welcomes the acceleration of the legislative process to release some 100 000 inmates.

26 March. Kurdish MP from the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Leyla Güven incites the Turkish parliament and executive branch to intervene in the country’s prisons in order to “avoid a tragedy”. It describes the seriousness of the health situation in these establishments marked by prison overcrowding.

23 March. The Turkish Government Party (Justice and Development Party, PJD) are working on a bill to release a number of prisoners due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Various sources indicate that prisoners who are repeat offenders or whose criminal situation is linked to terrorism, drugs or sexual abuse will not be affected by the early release measure. Around 100 000 are targeted. The bill will be discussed this week in Parliament. Human rights activists request that political detainees be included in the beneficiaries of this decision. Seven people were arrested and detained for reporting cases of COVID-19 infection in Turkey, including the editor-in-chief of SES Kocaeli, İsmet Çiğit. He was arrested following the publication of a paper reporting the death of two people in Sopalı because of the coronavirus. He was released the next morning.

18 March. The Secretary General of the Turkish Medical Union (ATC) said that he was particularly concerned about the lack of protective measures in place in Turkish prisons. He recommends the house arrest or release of those held in preventive detention to slow the spread of the epidemic.

17 March. Nine human rights organisations and trade unions published a list of 14 precautions to be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in prisons.

Identified cases¶

22 December. Forty-two inmates at Düzce prison tested positive. Test results can be accessed from an online government database containing the medical records of inmates.

15 December. Sixteen inmates tested positive at Karabük prison.

2 December. More than 50 inmates at Hilvan prison contracted COVID-19. Prison officials continued to ration water.

29 October. Twelve inmates contracted the virus in Elazığ prison.

28 July. Opposition MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu stated that the government counted 250 positive cases of the virus and five deaths in prisons across the country. Gergerlioğlu estimated that the death toll was five times higher than what had been announced by the authorities. There were about 250 infected prisoners in the Silivri prison alone.

18 June. The Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses announced a total of 446 positive cases and six deaths among prisoners.

27 May. A journalist with heart condition returned to Sincan prison in Ankara after being tested positive.

22 May. The prison administration announced that 82 inmates in the Silivri prison were infected. It added that one convict had died from the virus.

22 April. The administration confirmed 65 new positive cases of COVID-19 in Buca prison in Izmir. Sick prisoners were placed on medical treatment.

18 April. The Associations in Solidarity with Prisoners’ Families stated that the doctor at Şakran prison had contracted the virus and been in direct contact with prisoners.

13 April. The Minister of the Interior announced that 17 prisoners in five prison facilities tested positive for the virus. Three of them died while being treated.

27 March. The Minister of Justice announced that no cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Turkish prisons.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

5 July. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced to have organised sessions of information and distributed hygienic products to guards and detainees at 51 places for the deprivation of liberty in the country.

Sentence adjustments¶

13 April. Houthi rebels announced they had released 2 361 prisoners since the middle of March. The majority of detainees concerned had already served three-quarters of their sentences or had shown “good behaviour.”

1 April. The government announced the release of more than 500 prisoners.

Appeals and recommendations¶

2 July. Human Rights Watch denounced the lack of masks, gloves and basic hygienic products in the detention center of Bir Ahmed in Aden. The organisation asked the authorities of the southern transitional council to release them.

1 July. Alongside the release of a report detailing the cases of torture within the country’s prisons, the organisation Mwatana urged all parties involved in the conflict to free the prisoners. The association’s advocacy officer declared: ”The coronavirus has made the situation even more of a nightmare for the prisoners and their families”

2 June. The Abductees’ Mothers association declared that the detainees at Bir Ahmed prison faced “slow death”. They added that they planned to go on a hunger strike to challenge the “ill-treatment” that was being inflicted upon them.

6 May. The National centre of development cooperation (CNCD-11.11.11) asked for the liberation of all prisoners detained arbitrarily across the country as well as those populations deemed vulnerable, in particular children and sick people. It also requested the installation of sanitary equipment and the providing of medical care for prisoners. The centre hoped that observers will be granted access to all official and non-official detention centres. 

30 March. Experts from the United Nations called all parties to the conflict to release detainees and political prisoners in order to ”prevent the spread of coronavirus in the entire country”. They underline that the conditions within prison establishments are ”dreadful”.

22 March. The association Mothers of Abducted Yemenees expressed their concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 in Houthi detention centers in Yemen. Thousands of people are detained there.
The association is organizing a rally in the town of Ibb on Mother’s Day. They call for detainees that were forcibly abducted to be released before COVID-19 reaches the Houthi prison in Ibb. This is the fifth year in a row that the association has manifested outside prisons to denounce the spread of illnesses due to the lack of medical care.
The mothers point out that dozens of forcibly abducted people have died in these prisons due to neglect, illness and torture. They called on the United Nations, legal organizations and the Red Cross to intervene immediately. The UN Ambassador to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, also called for the release of detainees and abductees to prevent their contamination by COVID-19.