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Europe
Material conditions
Facilities
Bosnia & Herzegovina
The construction of the prison complex on Igman is a project that has been announced for decades.
Africa
Overcrowding
Torture
Congo - Brazzaville
Overcrowded prisons, over-use of remand, cases of torture and mistreatment, horrific detention conditions: in the Congo, prisoners’ rights are barely respected. Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT), an NGO in the Congo protecting human rights, is pushing for change. Interview…
Middle East
Mental health
Suicide
Turkey
Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a Green Left deputy from Kocaeli, stated today that at least 26 prisoners died in prisons in the first six months of 2023. Gergerlioglu stressed that 15 of the 26 prisoners died in suspicious circumstances. Another 11 people were not released from prison despite being termi…
Central America and the Caribbean
Torture
Honduras
Authorities in Honduras forced inmates to sit half-naked in tight rows while they searched for contraband in a sweep of prisons Monday, similar to the harsh tactics of neighbouring El Salvador.
The military police — who have taken charge of the nation’s prisons — fanned out across several prisons,…
Africa
Justice
Health
Material conditions
Ethiopia
Nigerian inmates in Kaliti prison, a maximum-security prison in Addis Abba, Ethiopia, have again called on the government to facilitate their transfer to prisons in Nigeria.
The inmates are pleading to be allowed to serve the rest of their jail terms in Nigeria. The detainees said they suffer grave…
Justice
Drugs
Death penalty
Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, the war on drugs leads to human rights violations against persons accused of drug offences, even for the possession of very small quantities. Petty offences, high stakes: Ambika Satkunanathan explains who is targeted by this policy and what its consequences are. Interview.
Africa
Women
Minors
Rehabilitation
Côte d’Ivoire
Action by the Christians for the Abolition of Torture in Côte d’Ivoire (Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture en Côte d’Ivoire, ACAT CI) published a report on the incarceration of women and minors in the country. What offences land them behind bars? Interview.
Caught in the spiral
Thematic paper
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Asia
Access to legal rights
Justice
Drugs
Alternatives
Rehabilitation
What are the human and social costs of the recourse to imprisonment? This series explores the experiences of various civil society organisations, formerly incarcerated people, researchers and policy makers challenging the criminalisation of poverty, status or activism.
Central America and the Caribbean
Women
Violence
Honduras
The inmates were found shot or burned to death in the latest spasm of violence in the country’s troubled prison system.
Republic of Congo: starting from scratch
Interview
Asia
Activities
Rehabilitation
Work
Singapore
A new initiative being rolled out for prison inmates will see them receiving training for roles in the food and beverage (F&B) sector, and help to secure jobs after their release. Yellow Ribbon Singapore, a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said on Thursday that it is aiming t…
Asia
Material conditions
Rehabilitation
India
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while reviewing the condition of prisons in a high-level meeting on Thursday, gave important guidelines towards prison reform.He expressed the need to establish prisons as ‘Sudhaar Grah’ (Reform Homes) and issued instructions regarding the preparation o…
Oceania
Discipline
Social ties
Australia
Tasmania’s Risdon Prison has reportedly been in full or partial lockdown over the past six days, with prisoners allegedly having little or no access to exercise and outdoor activities.The Tasmanian Prison Service confirmed the news on Monday afternoon, adding that the lockdowns had occurred despite…
Middle East
Health
Material conditions
Lebanon
Deaths in Lebanese prisons have nearly doubled in 2022 compared to 2018, Amnesty International said in a statement, citing possible factors such as prison officials’ misconduct or negligence, overcrowding, lack of adequate resources and impunity for ill-treatment.
Amnesty International’s Deputy Dir…
Culture
Justice
Health
Material conditions
France
Antoine Lazarus’ dedication to protecting the rights of incarcerated individuals is immeasurable. This year, he chairs the 2023 edition of Concertina: Coming together to explore imprisonment. He sat down with Prison Insider to discuss his experience as a doctor, activist, and silence-breaker. Op-ed…
Central America and the Caribbean
Material conditions
Haiti
Human rights group, RNDDH, is concerned that police reliance on makeshift prisons amid insecurity and a crippled judicial system, makes for “inhumane, degrading conditions in overcrowded cells”.
The group reported after visiting six police stations in Haiti’s Ouest Department. They recommend urging…
Asia
Death penalty
Torture
North Korea
A two-year-old North Korean was sentenced to life in prison after officials found a Bible in the toddler’s parents’ possession, as the totalitarian regime continued to “execute” and “torture” religious worshippers.
As many as 70,000 Christians are imprisoned in North Korea, according to a new Inter…