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Africa: Covid-19-Pandemic Prisoner “Forgotten Victims”-New Report

Africa: Covid-19-Pandemic Prisoner “Forgotten Victims”-New Report

 


More than 11 million people have been imprisoned worldwide and prisons have become a hotbed of viruses

In many countries prisons have resorted to excessive and abusive imprisonment

Amnesty International urges countries to prioritize prisoners in national immunization programs

“Failure to prioritize the health of people in detention will have devastating consequences.”-Netsanet Belay

Prisoners have been forgotten during the COVID-19 pandemic, and prisons around the world have taken control measures leading to serious human rights abuses, according to a new report from Amnesty International.

The report, Forgotten Behind Bars: COVID-19 and Prisons, warns that prisons are at risk of becoming a hotbed of viruses, with more than 11 million people imprisoned worldwide.

Amnesty International wants millions of people suffering from overcrowded cells to be included in the national vaccination rollout.

Many prisoners have difficulty accessing soap, proper hygiene, or personal protective equipment (PPE), but physical distance is difficult or impossible and available medical care. Is limited.

Netsanet Belay, Director of Research and Advocacy at Amnesty International, said:

“As COVID-19 continues to attack prisons around the world, measures introduced by the government to prevent the spread of illness are inadequate to reduce the use and harm of excessive cell confinement to help social distance. It has led to human rights abuses, including measures. The effect of segregation.

“Prisons are part of the most dangerous situation of the outbreak of COVID-19 and the rights to the health of people in prisons can no longer be ignored. Regarding vaccination plans, policies and treatments for imprisoned populations. Lack of clarity is an urgent global concern. Failure to prioritize the health of detainees as vaccine deployment strategies materialize destroys prisoners, their families, and the public health system. Will bring about positive results.

“People, no matter who you are or where you are, are worth using face masks, ample soap, disinfectants, and clean running water. Especially in prisons, you need to provide PPE for free. , Government COVID-19 testing and treatment to prevent and control potential outbreaks. “

It is difficult to assess the full scale of COVID-19 infections and associated deaths in prisons, as many governments have always failed to publicly provide up-to-date and reliable information. However, the available data show a worrying pattern of COVID-19 infection in prisons around the world. And as vaccine deployment strategies and plans take shape, many governments remain silent on plans to vaccinate the highest-risk prisoners.

Dangerous overcrowding

Overcrowding is widely recognized as one of the most serious problems facing the prison system today. Approximately 102 countries have reported more than 110% prison occupancy, and a significant proportion of prisoners have been charged or convicted of nonviolent crimes.

Measures have been taken to release qualified prisoners, but Amnesty International’s research shows that current release rates are not sufficient to address the enormous risks posed by the virus.

Many countries with dangerously high prison congestion, such as Bulgaria, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nepal, have failed to address concerns about the outbreak of COVID-19. In other countries, such as Iran and Turkey, hundreds of prisoners, including human rights defenders, were arbitrarily detained and excluded from COVID-19-related releases.

Underinvestment and laziness

COVID-19 also revealed a year of underinvestment and negligence in medical services in prisons. Many countries were unable or unwilling to address the growing need for preventative health measures and medical services for prisoners. In the early stages of the pandemic, Amnesty International discovered that prisoners in many countries were unable to undergo the COVID-19 test due to a shortage, but some detainees in Iran and Turkey were arbitrary. I was refused treatment.

Countries such as the United States, France, Cambodia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Togo have also failed to take appropriate preventive and protective measures in prisons to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Isolation and quarantine

Many countries have resorted to dangerous measures, including excessive and abusive confinement and quarantine measures, to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, leading to serious human rights abuses. In Argentina and the United Kingdom, detainees were quarantined for up to 23 hours a day, often weeks or months at a time.

Some COVID-19-related blockades in prison also affected family visits and increased the risk to the mental and physical health of detainees. In some cases, these caused widespread protests and prison insecurity, and authorities often responded with undue force.