Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

20 October. Almost all detainees nationwide had been vaccinated.

16 August. The health department planned to end its vaccination roll-out for prisoners at the end of the month.

27 June. A total of 686 prisoners and staff members were vaccinated in Koh Kong Province.

16 June. The government prioritised the vaccination of prisoners to reduce the spread of the virus within its facilities. Prison authorities stated: “We are on a mission to get as many prisoners as possible to be vaccinated against the virus”.

26 May. Prison officials affirmed that the spread of the pandemic in the prisons of Kandal province was under control. The area around the prison has been closed to the public.

20 May. United Nations offered assistance to Preah Sihanouk prison after the discovery of 34 COVID-19 positive cases. They provided material, such as gloves, masks and tests to prevent the spread of the virus in the facility.

18 May. More than a hundred female prisoners at Sihanoukville prison were transferred to Kampot due to an outbreak of COVID-19. All the prisoners were tested before the transfer.

2 March. The government announced that there is no immediate plan to vaccinate prisoners. Since no COVID-19 cases have been reported in the country’s prisons, this population is not among the priority groups.

Judicial system¶

23 March. A spokesperson for the prison administration pointed out the effects of the pandemic on prison overcrowding: “the prisons are getting overcrowded day by day with new detainees joining the already congested cells “. In the five months since November, 6,000 new prisoners have been registered, all awaiting their trial. This rise is due to the suspension of hearings.

24 February. The Municipal Court of Phnom Penh suspended all of its hearings for at least two weeks.

Sentence adjustments¶

20 October. Discussions regarding the release of the vulnerable prisoners in order to reduce overcrowding were ongoing. The prison authorities planned to prioritise pregnant women, mothers with young children, minors, the chronically ill and human rights, social and environmental activists.

14 June. The Minister of Justice prepared an announcement on bail conditions. The measures followed a recent ministerial meeting on the subject.

Contact with the outside world¶

4 October A spokesperson for prison officials announced that prisoners in areas of “high-risk of infections” were not permitted to meet their families for the Pchum Ben religious holiday, in an effort to control the spread of the virus in prison facilities.

24 February. Visits have been suspended in all prisons across the country. Faced with an increasing number of COVID-19 cases among the civilian population, the administration hopes to prevent spread inside prison facilities.

Appeals and recommendations¶

11 October. Several NGOs called for the relevant ministries and institutions to address the issue of overcrowding in prisons by speeding up the process of releasing inmates. The Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) dismissed their request stating it would affect security and public order.

10 June. The Ministry of the Interior called on prison authorities to take measures to prevent the spread of the virus among incarcerated people and staff in state prisons.

7 June. The Ministry of Justice rejected an appeal by trade unions and civil society organisations, calling on the government and the court to release all “prisoners of conscience” in the context of the fight against the pandemic. “There are no prisoners of conscience in Cambodia, only prisoners who have committed criminal acts”, the Minister said.

June 4. The Minister of Justice met with the UN Resident Coordinator, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNICEF representatives to review the government’s plan of action regarding prison overcrowding in the context of a pandemic.

Identified cases¶

2 September. Health staff recorded 217 cases among the prisoners.

4 July. Five prisoners in the provincial prison of Takeo have tested positive.

3 June. A woman incarcerated in Kampong Speu province died of COVID-19. Authorities estimated that around 100 female prisoners were infected.

31 May. Kandal officials announced the detection of 369 positive cases among the prisoners.

25 May. Prison officials refused to comment on the calls to action made by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to the government. The NGOs pointed out that there were hundreds of positive cases in Phnom Penh prison.

21 May. Prey Sar prison officials tallied 18 COVID-19 cases. Court hearings have been re-scheduled, and infected prisoners were placed in quarantine.

11 May. Sihanoukville prison officials announced the presence of a cluster in its facility. Among 1,800 prisoners, 34 tested positive. A study was carried out to find out how it originated.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

18 May. The government announced that countrywide testing will be carried out biweekly on prison staff, in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Sentence adjustments¶

13 January. Authorities announced the release of more than 900 prisoners in order to combat the spread of the outbreak. The ministry is relaxing the conditions of eligibility for conditional parole for vulnerable people, as well as for so-called “exemplary” prisoners.

Identified cases¶

2 February. The Minister of Justice reported nine new infections among inmates at Nambu prison in Seoul. The administration implemented an extensive testing protocol.

14 January. Officials reported a total of 1,242 cases in the country’s prisons, including both inmates and staff. However, the rate of infection seems to have slowed down. No new cases were detected in the prison facilities for two consecutive days.

13 January. Authorities reported 18 new cases at Dongbu prison, in southeastern Seoul. Eleven of them were transferred from Yeongwol prison.

7 January. Authorities reported that 1,163 prisoners and 43 staff members have tested positive since 27 November 2020. Dongbu prison presented the highest number of cases with more than 1,160 people infected. The government rolled-out mass testing for the entire prison population. This campaign also includes the implementation of weekly rapid tests for staff. Each prisoner is given a mask daily.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

24 October. The vaccination campaign continued in Delhi’s prisons. A total of 17,362 prisoners received a single dose in Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli prisons.

3 September. Prison administration reported it had vaccinated over 90% of the country’s prisoners.

4 August. The government of the state of Madhya Pradesh informed the Supreme Court that all the state’s prisoners had received their first vaccination.

20 June. Only 8% of prisoners in Asia’s largest prison, Tihar, were vaccinated against COVID-19.

12 July. The state of Maharashtra is intensifying its Covid-19 vaccination campaign in prisons. Almost 70% of prisoners have received their first dose of the vaccine. 2 July. The 3,500 prisoners in the Arthur Road and Byculla women’s prisons have received their first dose of the vaccine.

13 June. Nearly 7,600 prisoners of the 46 prisons in Mahārāshtra have received their first dose of vaccine. The number of active cases among prisoners in the state was estimated at 45.

11 June. Authorities at Madhya Pradesh planned to vaccinate all incarcerated people in the state by 15 June. In the state’s 131 prisons, 7,100 prisoners of a total of 49,000 have been vaccinated.

8 June. More than 2,000 people incarcerated at Bhopal received a dose of vaccine.

2 June. More than 2,000 people incarcerated at Parappana Agrahara Prison received their first dose of vaccine. The number of prisoners vaccinated increased to 3,264.

20 May. The Bombay Supreme Court called on the government in the state of Maharashtra to start vaccinating prisoners. “Can some portion of the vaccine be allocated to the prisons? Even prison inmates have the right to life” said the judges during their last hearing.

19 May. New Delhi Prisons Department began vaccinating prisoners aged 18 to 44, with a hundred injections at Tihar prison. A total of 1,472 prisoners over age 45 have now been vaccinated across the state.

15 May. Officials reported that 205 prisoners of the 18-44 age group at Kanker prison got the COVID-19 vaccine. Twenty-seven prisoners over age 45 had already been vaccinated.

9 May. Officials reported that they had administered the COVID-19 vaccine to more than 900 prisoners over age 45 and to nearly all staff members.

26 April. Tihar prison officialsencouraged 20,300 prisoners to get vaccinated. More than 450 have already done so since the vaccination drive started on 18 March.

8 March. Prison officials in Delhi announced that 85% of their staff have been vaccinated. Prisoners in Delhi who are over 60 years old or have co-morbidities have had access to the vaccine since 1 March. People held in Odisha State prisons have been eligible since 5 March.

22 January. Some inmates at the Mandoli Jail N° 14 (Delhi) described their “inhumane” detention conditions. They expressed their indignation and incomprehension over the lack of coherent measures. In spite of overcrowding and the resulting promiscuity, restrictions on their movements force them to remain in overcrowded cells all day. The lack of testing and personal protective equipment is only adding to tensions in the facility. They also reported that those who were ill were stuffed into makeshift barracks and left there. Toilets in the facility also had to be shared by everyone.

11 January. Prison authorities in Delhi instructed 1,600 staff members to register for vaccination. No prisoners will be vaccinated during this first phase.

Judicial system¶

7 May. The Supreme Court issued a series of decrees to decongest the prisons and limit the spread of COVID-19. These measures affect those who were granted bail or parole.

28 January. The release of the 2020 justice report highlighted the lack of infrastructure in the country’s penitentiaries. In April 2020, the Supreme Court ordered the systematisation of videoconference hearings. Such a measure was not applicable in 40% of prisons due to lack of equipment.

Sentence adjustments¶

12 August. The government of West Bengal decided to release 73 prisoners serving life sentences in order to decongest the state’s facilities. The measure benefited prisoners over age 60 and female prisoners over age 55.

3 August. Calcutta facilities (in the state of West Bengal) released 63 prisoners condemned to life sentence who had served at least 14 years. The sentence review board recommended these releases based on their age and good behaviour.

31 May. Some twenty prisoners from the state of Uttar Pradesh refused the 90-day parole, protesting that this time will be added to their initial term. They also expressed concern about their living conditions on the outside.

26 May. More than 10,000 people deprived of liberty (both untried and convicted prisoners) in the state of Uttar Pradesh were granted bail or parole.

21 May. Bhubaneswar officials released 221 prisoners on special parole for 90 days. A total of 670 persons have benefited from this measure.
Approximately 500 prisoners from Nagpur prison should benefit from non-custodial sentences to decongest the facility.

29 March. More than 4,200 prisoners were released on bail and 51 on parole since the start of the pandemic last March in an effort to decongest prisons.

Contact with the outside world¶

17 August. Prisons in the state of Uttar Pradesh authorised the resumption of visits by families and loved ones. Visitors had to present a recent negative PCR test.

12 August. Prison officials in the state of Tamil Nadu decided to authorise the resumption of visits. Visitors must be fully vaccinated or present a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old.

16 June. Video-conference visits will soon enable prisoners at Colvale Central Prison to communicate with their loved ones.

9 June. The authorities in Rajasthan organised online meetings between prisoners and their relatives to reduce isolation due to the pandemic. Between 1 April and 5 June, 100,746 virtual meetings were held.

30 May. More than 12,000 prisoners in the state of Karnataka submitted online request forms for bail. In April, 49 facilities in the state introduced the e-filing concept to minimise court appearances.

1 February. Bhondis prison (State of Haryana) set up videoconferencing facilities for visiting rooms. Each call cost 2.50 rupees per minute and was limited to 10 minutes. Bhondis was the first prison in the state to have such facilities. Some prisoners had not seen their families since March 2020.

15 January. Visits that were suspended in March 2020 resumed in Tamil Nadu prisons. They were limited to one visitor for 15 minutes.

Protest movements¶

6 July. Around 20 prisoners have refused parole out of fear of the situation on the outside. They say that they feel better protected against COVID-19 in prison.

Appeals and recommendations¶

2 July. Over 45 organisations, 187 healthcare professionals and individuals in India and abroad have launched an appeal to review the conditions for parole and bail. They are calling for priority to be determined based on the prisoners’ age and health.

20 February. The High Powered Committee (HPC) in Delhi recommended an end to the extension of interim bails that was put in place because of the pandemic. A total of 3,499 of people who are out on bail may have to return to prison.

Identified cases¶

18 October. About 20 new inmates tested positive for COVID-19 at Adharwadi Jailin Kalyan. All of them were sent to Thane civil hospital for treatment.

28 September The press denounced the overcrowding at Byculla prison, the only facility reserved for women and children. Following a recent increase in “fever” cases, 36 people tested positive, six of whom were children under six.

26 September The Municipality of Mumbai decided to close the Byculla prison for women following cases of “fever” among the prisoners. One of the prisoners was a pregnant wooman who was admitted to hospital.

7 September. Viyyur central prisonrecorded 30 positive cases. The condition of one prisoner became critical, and he was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital and Thrissur. The others were treated in priority at the prison’s medical unit.

24 June. More than 13,000 incarcerated people in the state of Maharashtra have been vaccinated. The number of cases is reportedly declining, according to state officials.

15 June. The authorities claimed that there was only one case in Delhi’s prisons.

7 July. The authorities have identified 32 positive cases among prisoners at the temporary prison of Thane.

23 May. Padampur prison reported 83 positive cases, including five serious ones. Jharpada prison reported 96 cases among its prisoners and staff. Officials at Chandigarh prison disclosed that 23 more prisoners had tested positive. The total number of positive cases among prisoners is now 56.

21 May. Nearly 50 prisoners from Visakhapatnam prison tested positive for COVID-19, out of 125 individuals. The number of positive prisoners has since risen to 62.

19 May. The state of Assam has been particularly affected with 233 prisoners who tested positive in 16 of 31 prisons.

17 May. One Jharpada prisoner died from COVID-19 a few days after being transferred to hospital.

15 May. Officials reported that 68 prisoners at Jharsuguda tested positive out of 282 individuals. Positive prisoners were quarantined for two weeks.

28 April. A 43 year old man awaiting trial died of COVID-19 in Tihar prison, near New Delhi.

25 January. Basti prison (Uttar Pradesh) recorded 123 new cases among inmates over a period of ten days. Three staff members were also infected. Officials admitted that overcrowding may be the cause of the rapid spread of the virus. The facility is housing 1,275 inmates in a capacity of about 600 places.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

6 June. The authorities stated that the Ministry of Justice wanted to ensure the vaccination of prisoners because of their high risk of exposure to COVID-19. The ministerial team was considering giving municipalities the task of sending medical staff to prisons. The vaccination campaign is still limited to older members of civil society, leaving the fate of prisoners uncertain.

12 February. Inmates reported that health protection equipment was very limited in Yokohama prison. The quantity of masks provided by the administration was insufficient. Buying them or receiving them in packages was prohibited. Prisoners were forced to wear used masks.

Contact with the outside world¶

12 January. Visits have been suspended within Yokohama prison.

Identified cases¶

10 February. Yokohama Prison recorded a total of 146 infected people including 129 inmates.

18 January. Officials reported 88 new cases, including inmates and staff, at one of the Yokohama prisons.

Health conditions and access to healthcare¶

11 March. A report from the Lawyers for Human Rights Public Foundation highlighted “mediocre care” within the country’s prisons. Of particular note: the inappropriate conservation and use of medicines, the “irrational” use of budgets resulting in deficits, insufficient preparation of prison staff to manage medical emergencies, and inefficient surveillance systems.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

20 October. The prisoner vaccination campaign was so successful that no new cases were reported in Penang prison for a month. The prison administration set aside an isolation bay for inmates displaying symptoms and systematically isolated prisoner arrivals so that they could be vaccinated: “ the situation is currently under control “.

30 September The lockdown at Kuantan prison ended.

29 September. Prisoners began being vaccinated at the Penang Remand Prison in George Town. Each day, more than 200 inmates would get their vaccine from the public health department.

29 June. Half of the prisoners at Marang prison have been transferred to Dungun prison.

3 June. The All Party Parliamentary Group for the Reform of Prisons and All Places of Detention (APPGM) called for alternative measures to mass arrests to control the pandemic. The APPGM stated: “It is time for the government to seriously reconsider its punitive approach and accept that COVID-19 requires a health approach “.

24 May. The Malaysian Bar requested the government to prioritise COVID-19 vaccination for legal sector professionals such as lawyers who have contact with prisoners.

8 April. The prison administration announced the creation of 13 new prisons to ease overcrowding. They would hold 400 to 500 prisoners tried for minor offences and serve as centres for COVID-19 testing prior to incarceration and transfers to other prisons.

19 January. The government announced the construction of a building to house inmates temporarily. This measure is meant to reduce prison overcrowding.

Judicial system¶

6 February. The Human Rights Commission strongly criticised the introduction of prison sentences for non-compliance with SOPs (local procedures restricting the populations movement). They fear an increase in the number of prisoners, as the country’s prisons are particularly overcrowded and represent a vector for the spread of the epidemic.

Sentence adjustments¶

8 April. The prison administration announced the implementation of an early release programme to ease overcrowding.

Contact with the outside world¶

9 April. The suspension of visits was lifted. Visits resumed in accordance with health regulations.

10 February. Authorities announced visitation suspension during Chinese New Year celebrations.

1 February. Sungai Udang prison was placed under EMCO until 16 February following a resurgence of infection cases in the region. Entries and exits have been strictly limited, and visits forbidden.

27 January. As a result of the increase in cases, Marang and Dungun prisons were placed under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) until at least 10 February: entries and outings were controlled and reduced to a strict minimum. Visits were no longer permitted.

25 January. Taiping prison was placed under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) for the second time. Visits were no longer permitted until 8 February. This measure was taken following an increase in the number of cases in the facility.

23 January. Officials extended the EMCO at Jalabu prison until 7 February.

Appeals and recommendations¶

5 July. The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister has stated that the government will discuss COVID-19 vaccination for prisoners this week.

3 July. A former deputy public prosecutor has called on the government to take measures to reduce the number of prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

9 April. The NGO Eliminating Death and Abuse in Custody Together (Edict) reiterated the importance of visits for the mental health and well-being of prisoners.

18 February. Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo called on authorities to stop incarcerating new offenders, especially those who broke public health rules. The lawyer feared that people who may be infected could add to clusters that already exist in the facilities, making the situation worse. She called, among other things, for the application of the 1995 law which provides for the early release of inmates who have committed “minor” offences.

17 February. The chairman of the NGO Eliminating Deaths and Abuse in Custody Together (EDICT) criticised the effectiveness of measures aiming to limit infections during detention and transfers. He demanded that authorities reinforce disinfection procedures and the distribution of masks to prisoners and staff members.

Identified cases¶

28 September The Ministry of Home Affairs announced that more than 51,000 prisoners, relatives and prison staff had been infected since last year. “This include[d] the nine babies born in prison”.

12 September. The state of Kelantan recorded 20 new cases.

22 June. The admission of prisoners from another state was reportedly the cause of a new cluster detected at Sungai Udang Tembok prison. This outbreak led to a two-week reintroduction of the government’s action plan (Enhanced Movement Control Order, EMCO), which aims to control movements and limit the risk of contamination.

9 July. The Health Director of Sarawak reports that 56 new cases have been registered in Miri Central prison.

4 July. Two infection clusters have been identified in Sabah prison, taking the total number of new cases to 322.

1 July. Kepayan prison has recorded 51 new positive cases.

6 May. The implementation of health measures (“stricter standard operating procedures”, or “SOPs”) was a success according to prison officials in the state of Penang, where only five prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. The director reported that 99 % of staff members in this state were vaccinated.

31 January. The Minister of Health reported that 79 inmates tested positive at Sungai Udang prison. Out of the staff members, 22 also got infected.

27 January. The Ministry of Health reported 98 inmates had tested positive at Marang prison transit centre. Ninety-two inmates and two staff members also tested positive at the Dungun facility.

25 January. Officials detected 43 cases at Taiping prison, including 40 inmates.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

5 March. A vaccination campaign has begun in prisons across the country, after new cases were identified among prisoners.

Identified cases¶

2 February. A prisoner tested positive at Hulhumale prison. He was quarantined, and the institution went into lockdown.

Identified cases¶

4 January. The authorities identified 55 new cases among the prisoners in Tharyarwady prison in Bago region. Testing began after the death of a 22-year-old inmate on 1 January. These new cases have brought the total number of positive cases among inmates to 215 in this prison. They numbered 160 in October 2020.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

16 September. District Prison, Baitadi holds three times more prisoners than it was designed to house. The director of the facility stated: “The observation of social distancing is not possible here”.

31 January. The Minister of Health reported that 783 inmates at the central prison of Sundhara in Katmandu were vaccinated.

Contact with the outside world¶

28 May. Officials extended the lockdown in various prisons such as in Dhading and Rautahat.

6 May. Siraha prison suspended visits for fear of spreading COVID-19. The facility also refused new admissions.

3 May. Tahanu prison closed its doors to visitors to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 variants. Officials reported that none of the 266 prisoners have been affected by the virus.

Appeals and recommendations¶

13 September. The International Commission of Jurists stated that prison overcrowding has contributed to the spread of the virus and pointed out the obligation to guarantee the right to health for all people. It also recommended concrete measures to help authorities prepare for further waves of COVID-19.

4 February. The National Human Rights Commission published a report urging the authorities to allocate budget to limit the spread of the epidemic in the country’s prisons. “Precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infection among the inmates […] set by the World Health Organization have not been implemented due to lack of budget”. The government was asked to make funds available to provide the establishments with the necessary equipment and infrastructure to protect prisoners. The implementation of a unified national plan was also recommended.

Identified cases¶

30 June. A prisoner in Chitwan has died from COVID-19.

3 May. Three new prisoners tested positive at Bajura prison and were quarantined.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

28 June. Prisoners in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province remained vulnerable to the virus, while the staff was vaccinated. There were several reports of safety standard violations.

26 April. Since vaccinations began, more than 1,000 prisoners over the age of 50 and 250 correctional officers received their first dose of the vaccine.

7 April. The Sindh Minister of Health announced that prisoners over age 50 would be vaccinated. This measure affected 2,532 people.

12 January. The country’s prisons received 9.7 million rupees worth of sanitary kits following a partnership between the US embassy in Islamabad and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa prison administration. These kits aim to limit the spread of the epidemic. They include masks, gloves and disinfectant.

Appeals and recommendations¶

8 January. The ombudsman highlighted prison overcrowding in the country, especially in the Punjab region. It recommended the expansion and construction of new prisons, as well as the implementation of adequate health infrastructure. It encouraged special monitoring of prisoners with comorbidities, which make them more vulnerable to the pandemic.

Identified cases¶

19 May. More than 200 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19 in Karachi prison, out of 370 tests conducted. The country has 353 positive prisoners.

8 January. Ombudsman reported that more than 500 prisoners tested positive across the country. The provinces with the most cases are Sindh (291), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (126) and Balochistan (80).

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

29 October. The Human Rights Commission welcomed the administration’s acceleration of prisoner vaccination. On 26 October, 8800 prisoners were vaccinated in Bilibid prison. The commission “remains hopeful that more local government units will include elderly prisoners, especially those with co-morbidities, in their vaccination priority list in the coming weeks.”

19 October. A spokesperson from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology stated that roughly 60% of the country’s prisoners had been vaccinated.

18 October. Nearly one out of 10 Bureau of Corrections’ prisoners had been vaccinated.

30 September Iwahig prison set up a quarantine unit for prisoners and staff following an inspection, planning to meet the standards of the current health protocols.

27 September The Leyte prison at Abuyog reported that 682 prisoners were vaccinated, one-third of the total number of inmates.

19 May. The family of a detained activist who died from COVID-19 on 11 May, decided to sue the prison administration for negligence.

18 May. According to the Ministry of Justice, prisoners will be the next group on the priority list for vaccination. This statement came after the death of a prisoner in New Bilibid prison.

21 April. The quarantine of Palawan prison after a correctional officer died of COVID-19 came to an end.

13 April. The Ministry of Justice examined the possibility of vaccinating incarcerated people not yet included in the government’s vaccination plan.

7 April. San Ramon prison had 140 positive cases, of which 33 were correctional officers. It was placed under quarantine for a month.

5 March. The Minister of Health declared that prisoners are a priority for vaccination, being exposed to a high risk of infection. Political prisoners are to receive the same treatment.

Contact with outside¶

28 June. Pampanga provincial prison was provided with I.T. equipment by the Beyond the Bars programme, run by the Bureau of Correctional Services.

21 June. Leyte regional prison experimented with a video-conferencing system so prisoners could “visit” their loved ones.

2 July. The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) has ordered all district prisons in Western Visayas to temporarily stop receiving non-essential items from outside intended for prisoners.

Appeals and recommendations¶

18 June. The death of an elderly political prisoner triggered demands by the human rights group, Kapatid, for the release of vulnerable incarcerated people.

16 April. A prisoners advocacy group denounced the government’s contradictory statements on whether or not prisoners should be included in the vaccination programme. The spokesperson called for the publication of a list and a clear and precise schedule.

14 April. The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) asked the government to clarify its vaccination strategy and to include prisoners on the priority list.

1 April. A civil society organisation requested the delivery of food and basic necessities, as well as access to healthcare, in Manila prisons, despite the ban and quarantine in place.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

17 June. Peradeniya University Students’ Association donated health and medical equipment to the Welkada prison hospital to support the fight against the pandemic.

6 July. The new prison complex in Horana is set to expand the country’s prison capacity to 100,000 prisoners, according to the Justice Minister. The aim of opening the complex is to ease overcrowding in existing prisons.

30 May. Prison officials announced that a special centre was set up in Angunakolapelessa prison to treat prison officers who have COVID-19. It will have the capacity to admit 50 people. Six houses were also being made available for the officers’ family members who contract the virus.

1 May. More than 5,100 correctional officers received their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Contact with the outside world¶

4 October Colombo city officials decided to allow prisoners to have visitors (sentenced prisoners: one per week/ on remand : one per month). Visits had been suspended since 7 August.

14 June. The authorities announced that prisoners will be able to communicate via Zoom with their relatives to compensate for the suspension of visits. This measure was being implemented in six prisons, with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

24 April. Visits were suspended for a fortnight.

Acts of protest¶

23 May. A riot broke out at the Arouca prison for women. Prisoners were upset about a staff member who tested positive and protested the fact that authorities do not acknowledge that COVId-19 cases exist in the prison. They chanted: “COVID is real, COVID is real”.

18 May. The Sri Lankan member of parliament, Premalal Jayasekera, sentenced to prison, denounced the lack of physical distancing among prisoners. He said it was impossible to maintain a meter distance between people. He called on the government to take proper measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic in prison.

17 May. A group of prisoners staged a protest at Bogambara prison to demand more PCR testing. The protesters also called for new arrivals to have the PCR test before their admission and not after, as is currently the case.

16 May. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) met with prison officials to discuss detention conditions during the pandemic. The HRCSL raised the question of maintaining family ties while there are restrictions on communications. The organisation also called for greater availability and accessibility of information on prisoners.

8 January. The expert committee investigating the Mahara prison riot declared that the 11 prisoners who died (see our Pakistan 2020 thread) were killed by a firearm. This information contradicted the prison administration’s version, which claimed the deaths resulted from clashes between prisoners. The court ordered that the bodies be returned to their families.

Appeals and recommendations¶

20 May. The Attorney General issued a set of guidelines to prison officials. He suggested that prisoners serving time for minor offences be released on parole to prevent prison overcrowding and the spread of the virus.

Identified cases¶

14 October. The Epidemiology Unit stated that a total of 8,933 people in prison had tested positive for COVID-19.

7 July. The prison service has announced that 30 prisoners at Bossa prison have tested positive for COVID-19.

17 May. Sri Lankan epidemiologists pointed out that the number of positive cases is increasing due in part to prison clusters. Officials reported that 5,142 prisoners contracted the virus.

30 April. Thirteen prisoners tested positive at Angunakolapelessa prison.

25 January. Facilities around the country reported a total of 4,256 positive inmates since the onset of the pandemic. One-hundred and thirty-nine staff members were also identified. Welikada prison had the highest number of cases (886), followed by Magazine prison (870) and Mahara (816). Nine deaths among inmates and staff were also recorded.

Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶

9 July. Prisoners infected with COVID-19 and presenting mild symptoms are being treated with medicinal plants. According to the prison service, the treatment is a success.

10 June. The Minister of Justice announced the launch of a vaccination campaign in prisons. He stated that prisons with high infection rates would be given priority.

June 7. The vaccination of prisoners began in Pattaya facility. Since 1 April, 28,404 infections have been recorded and 14 prisoners have died.

26 May. Prisons have been ordered to set up a field hospital within their facility to be ready for the next wave of infections.

22 May. Prisons reporting 100% negative tests will have to perform further testing every seven days until the situation is normal.

22 May. Min Buri prison started its vaccination drive for 1,500 prisoners. According to prison officials, it should take a week to vaccinate all the prisoners.

19 May. The procedure of testing and immediately quarantining new arrivals is bearing fruit in Pattaya prison. Officials reported that the facility is free of COVID-19. As a precaution, the prison has also set up a medical facility to treat up to 300 patients.

17 May. Prison officials announced that 12,000 vaccines are on reserve for prisoners, and they are looking for more. From now on, there will be a quarantining period of 21 days for transferred prisoners. Testing has also increased.

5 May. The prison administration announced the conversion of five of the Klong Prem Central prison buildings in Chatuchak into hospitals for the treatment of new COVID-19-positive prisoners.

27 April. Part of the Chiang Mai prison was converted into a hospital to hold infected prisoners.

Sentence adjustments¶

21 May. The government is planning to release 50,000 prisoners.

Contact with the outside world¶

5 April. Visits and transfers were cancelled, nationwide and for one month, following the infection of 112 prisoners and staff members. Communications, purchases and money deposits were to be made via an application.

Appeals and recommendations¶

26 May. Ex-prisoner Hatairat «Ploy» Kaewseekram denounced the poorly managed pandemic in the Bangkok prison for women. She said that she had to share a cell with 19 other prisoners. Hand sanitizer was not provided, and they were given only two masks each. The young woman described how prisoners had to “sit together, eat together and sleep together, only slightly apart.”

22 April. Health authorities in Chiang Mai requested the implementation of a protocol within the region’s prisons to prevent the spread of the virus.

Identified cases¶

2 November. The number of people testing positive in prisons increased. 515 new cases were detected in 24 hours.

22 October. The number of cases in custody increased: 120 new cases were reported.

18 October. New COVID-19 cases were reported in prisons: 41 inmates tested positive.

15 October. The country recorded 67 new cases among prison inmates.

11 October The number of prison cases had decreased to 80.

4 October The country reported 362 infections among prisoners. While the number of cases in the general population was decreasing, prison cases were increasing : 104 cases were reported on 3 October.

29 September The countryreported 178 cases in its prisons. This number was continually growing : 269 cases were reported on 28 September.

19 September. The Muang district prison went into lockdown after identifying 130 new cases.

16 September. The Muang district prison (Correctional Institution for Young Offenders) recorded 64 positive cases. Officials affirmed that the number of infections could rise to 1,000. Despite its name, the facility houses numerous adults, some over age 60.

9 September. The country recorded 631 positive cases among its prisoners, the highest number since the beginning of the month.

6 September. Some leaders of anti-government protests contracted the virus in prison after their arrests in Bangkok. The United Nations were concerned that they were not receiving the proper medical care.

8 June. After testing all prisoners of the province, authorities in Korat stated that no prisoner of the city’s six prisons has tested positive for COVID-19. Prison agents must undergo tests every fortnight, and new prisoners are placed in a 14-day quarantine.

25 May. The Ministry of Health reported 882 new positive cases in the country’s prisons.

17 May. Eight facilities conducted tests on prisoners. Officials reported 10,748 cases out of 24,537 prisoners. In the most affected prison, located in the region of Chiang Mai, 61% of the prisoners tested positive.

22 April. Chiang Mai prison reported that 144 prisoners and two correctional officers had tested positive. Narathiwat prison identified 300 prisoners and 50 % officers that contracted COVID-19. New prisoners were being tested and placed in isolation.