Information, topic by topic, on prisons across the world

May 4, 2020

Syria: prisoner from eastern Ghouta dies under torture in Sednaya prison

News

Middle East Torture Syria

Syrian Observatory activists have documented the death of a civilian from Saqba city in eastern Ghouta, seven years after being arrested at a security checkpoint in Damascus. The victim died under torture in Sednaya prison (known as the Slaughterhouse). With the death of more civilians, the number…

April 29, 2020

Map of the coronavirus in prisons

News

Africa Coronavirus North America Central America and the Caribbean South America Asia Europe Middle East Oceania Health

Prison Insider is partnering with Justice Project Pakistan on its collaborative map to report the number of confirmed cases and deaths among prisoners worldwide.

April 23, 2020

Death penalty 2019: les chiffres les plus bas de la décennie

News

Africa Asia Europe Middle East Oceania Death penalty

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

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March 18, 2020

Coronavirus: Prison Fever

News Thematic paper

Africa Coronavirus North America Central America and the Caribbean Pre-trial detention South America Asia Europe Middle East Health Material conditions Protest Activities

What measures are taken to guarantee the safety of all prisoners and prison staff? What are the consequences of the pandemic on the living conditions in prisons? Here is an overview. — Update 31/12/2020

March 18, 2020

Iran: temporarily frees 54,000 prisoners to combat Coronavirus spread

News

Coronavirus Middle East Health Iran

Iran has temporarily released more than 54,000 prisoners in an effort to combat the spread of the new coronavirus disease in crowded jails.

March 18, 2020

Middle East: coronavirus, prison fever

News

Coronavirus Middle East Health Material conditions Protest

The Covid-19 does not stop at prison gates. Prisoners often live in overcrowded cells and unsanitary contexts, sharing cells. What measures are taken to guarantee the safety of all prisoners and prison staff? What are the consequences of the pandemic on the living conditions in prisons? — Update 31…

February 12, 2020

Syria: dans une prison avec les jihadistes

News

Middle East Foreign prisoners Health Overcrowding

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

February 5, 2020

Egypt: "Someone is sick guard", leaked audio

News

Africa Middle East Health Egypt

Inmates are kept in overcrowded, dirty cells without ventilation and are given insufficient food.

January 21, 2020

“Parodies of justice” in Iraq

Interview

Middle East Foreign prisoners Justice Death penalty Torture Violence Iraq

The Iraqi justice system has some flaws – quick trials, non-existent legal assistance and judgements based on confessions rather than the evidence. Yet several countries have declined to repatriate their citizens who are accused of terrorism, putting them at risk of torture or the death penalty.

January 15, 2020

Syria: "On dort l'un sur l'autre" : plongée au cœur d'une prison de jihadistes au Kurdistan syrien (vidéo)

News

Middle East Overcrowding Syria

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

January 3, 2020

Lebanon: indirect processes of radicalization at Lebanon’s Roumieh

News

Middle East Violence Religion Lebanon

Incarceration centers across the MENA region are known for their lawlessness and tendency to act as incubators for the reinforcement and hardening of ideologies and violent behaviors. Roumieh Prison in Lebanon is no exception.

January 1, 2020

Coronavirus: Prison Fever / 2021

News Thematic paper

Africa Coronavirus North America Central America and the Caribbean South America Asia Elderly prisoners Europe Middle East Oceania Health Mental health Material conditions Activities Social ties

The virus has not stopped at prison gates. What measures are taken to guarantee the safety of all prisoners and prison staff? What are the consequences of the pandemic on the living conditions in prisons? Here is an overview. — Update 31/12/2021

November 12, 2019

Egypt: mauvais traitements, les autorités tentent de convaincre les journalistes (en vain ?)

News

Africa Middle East Egypt

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

November 8, 2019

Egypt: "credible evidence" that "brutal" prison conditions prompted Morsi’s death, thousands more at risk

News

Africa Middle East Material conditions Egypt

A group of independent UN human rights experts said on Friday that there was “credible evidence” that inadequate prison conditions in which former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was held may have led “directly” to his death in June, and thousands of other detainees may be at “severe risk”.

November 7, 2019

Yemen: un site de Total utilisé comme prison

News

Middle East Yemen

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

November 4, 2019

Jihadistes détenus en Syrie : "Au lieu d'organiser une justice, on met ce problème dans un étouffoir"

News

Middle East Syria

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

October 29, 2019

Syria: bursting at the seams: inside an IS prison

News

Middle East Syria

Hasakeh province (Syria) (AFP) - Behind the steel door, the cell is as packed as their eyes are empty – haggard, scrawny prisoners in orange jumpsuits lying head-to-toe cover every inch of floor space.

October 29, 2019

Syria: cómo es la prisión kurda donde están encerrados miles de terroristas del Estado Islámico

News

Middle East Discipline Material conditions Protest Religion Syria

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish

October 23, 2019

Yemen: detainees start hunger strike in UAE prison in Aden

News

Middle East Yemen

Detainees have started a hunger strike at a UAE prison in the Yemeni city of Aden, in protest against their non-release despite obtaining a previous decision on the matter.

October 10, 2019

Iran: a child of the gallows

Testimonial

Middle East Death penalty Iran

Homan was born in prison. Both his parents were executed. He then spent three years in prison. This is his story.

October 8, 2019

Syria: boys, men held in inhumane conditions

News

Middle East Torture Syria

A Kurdish-led armed group backed by the United States-led coalition against the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) is detaining thousands of Syrian and foreign men and boys in severely overcrowded informal detention centers in northeast Syria, Human Rights Watch said today.

October 7, 2019

Iran: Sepideh Qoliyan said she was tortured, now she’s serving an 18-year prison sentence

News

Middle East Torture Iran

Sepideh Qoliyan is currently serving an 18.6-year prison sentence in Iran’s Gharchak Prison for women after being arrested at workers’ rights protests in the city of Shush, Khuzestan Province, and publicly stating that she and fellow detainees had been tortured in the custody of the Intelligence Mi…

October 2, 2019

Saudi Arabia: un journaliste détenu 56 jours dans une prison saoudienne: "je me suis souvenu de Khashoggi et de la scie"

News

Middle East Saudi Arabia

This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French

September 1, 2019

Yemen: saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen kill more than 60 in prison, rebels say

News

Middle East Yemen

Airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen hit a university used as a detention center in a southwestern province on Sunday, killing at least 60 people, officials and the rebels’ health ministry said.