April 2017
South America
Argentina
This article is not available in English. If you wish, you can consult the French version.
Source — RFI
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Asia
North Korea
Lim Hye-jin described watching interned political dissenters set on fire, beheaded and shot dead en masse in collective punishment following escape attempts.
Thousands of inmates in North Korean prison camps face beatings, summary executions, starvation and rape, a former guard has revealed.
Source — The Independent
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Pre-trial detention
Europe
France
This article is not available in English. If you wish, you can consult the French version.
Source — France info
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North America
Justice
Canada
Elimination of some minimum mandatory sentences and reform of bail system will be under review
Source — CBC News
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North America
Death penalty
United States
Utah will execute three inmates by firing squad for the first time since the method was reinstated in 2015 by Gov. Gary Herbert.
Source — Heatstreet
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South America
Venezuela
An outbreak of violence between rival gangs at a prison in eastern Venezuela has left 12 dead and 11 injured, the government said Wednesday.
Source — Borneo Post
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North America
United States
Incarcerated people in Connecticut may soon be able to take Yale College courses for academic credit as part of the Yale Prison Education Initiative.
Source — Yale News
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Africa
Justice
Chad
This article is not available in English. If you wish, you can consult the French version.
Source — La Croix
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Tanzania
President John Magufuli yesterday pardoned 2,219 prisoners on the occasion of the 53rd Anniversary of the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, marked at national level at the Jamhuri Stadium in the designated capital of Dodoma. Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Maj. Gen.
Source — All Africa
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Africa
Material conditions
Liberia
The Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) has released a report on the ‘deteriorating’ conditions of prisons across the country.
Source — All Africa
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Material conditions
Protest
United States
Seven Alabama jail inmates are facing additional charges after a riot to express their dissatisfaction with the food served at the lockup, according to AL.com.
Source — The Times Picayune
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Europe
France
This article is not available in English. If you wish, you can consult the French version.
Source — Mediapart
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Facilities
Overcrowding
Romania
Marius Vulpe, the director of National Penitentiaries Administration (ANP), said Romania would need to build 8 modern prisons to solve the issue of prison overcrowding, News.ro reported. The new facilities could accommodate 8,000 to 8,500 inmates and would cost EUR 140 million each, resulting in to…
Source — Romania Insider
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Asia
Religion
Myanmar (Burma)
The Prisons Department will allow inmates to carry out religious activities once a month starting from the new fiscal year, said the department’s deputy director from Security Section.
Source — Myanmar Times
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Europe
Justice
Material conditions
Romania
The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday (25 April) took Romania to task for its dismal prison conditions, saying they could be considered inhumane and degrading.
Source — Euractiv
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