News
Zimbabwe: prison cells meant for 35 imprisoned people now holding over 80, Zimbabwe rights body says
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Zimbabwe
Prison cells meant to hold 35 imprisoned people are now crammed with more than 80 people at Harare Remand Prison, where broken phone lines have cut off imprisoned people from families and two university students were barred from writing exams while in custody.
Asia
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Japan
For the first time in more than a century, Japan has overhauled its prison system with new rules placing greater emphasis on rehabilitation over punishment to combat the country’s high recidivism rates.
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Oceania
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New Zealand
The Government has opened a new 596-bed facility at Waikeria Prison. It comprises 28 buildings across 21 hectares, 14 kilometres south of Te Awamutu.
Pre-trial detention
Asia
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Azerbaijan
Media reports regarding the harsh conditions in pretrial detention centres have intensified following the publication of letters from journalists and activists in prison.
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Iran
Iran executed at least 163 imprisoned people in May, marking a 143 percent increase from the 67 executions recorded in May 2024, according to a human rights organization.
Central America and the Caribbean
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El Salvador
The country’s Catholic bishops have published a pastoral letterwarning of the risk of turning the Central American nation into a “large international prison” and demanding an end to the state of emergency.
Africa
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South Africa
People who are found unfit to stand trial or be held criminally liable for a crime due to their psychiatric state are supposed to receive specialised care in the health system. But hundreds are being kept in prisons.
Women
Oceania
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Australia
A former incarcerated person says she documented seven suicide attempts in just four weeks inside Victoria’s maximum security women’s prison, amid a wave of lockdowns triggered by staff shortages.
Women
Middle East
Suicide
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Saudi Arabia
Girls and young women describe facing flogging and abuse in so-called “care homes” after arguing with their fathers or husbands.
Middle East
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Iran
Iran slammed France for filing a case against it at the International Court of Justice over the detention of two French nationals in conditions Paris denounced as inhumane. Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris have been able to receive only four consular visits during their three-year detention.
Europe
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Belarus
A Belarusian political prisoner, jailed for criticizing President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has died under unclear circumstances, independent media and human rights groups say.
Crises
Asia
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Myanmar (Burma)
The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPNM) reported on 19 May that budget reductions in military-controlled prisons are worsening conditions for incarcerated people, with severe food shortages leading to rising malnutrition and health complications, particularly in Myingyan Prison.
Crises
Europe
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Greece
A fire broke out at the Corfu prison, after incarcerated people reportedly set fire to mattresses and plastic in protest against intensive cell checks, according to kerkyrasimera.gr. The protest is concentrated in the E and G wings of the facility.
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United States
Since taking office, the Trump administration has taken actions to eviscerate due process and the rule of law, make prison and jail conditions worse, expand the use of extreme sentences and harsh law enforcement tactics, eliminate oversight, undermine solutions that reduce incarceration.
Crises
Women
Middle East
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Israel
Israeli occupation authorities are reportedly holding two Palestinian women, both five months pregnant, under harsh conditions at Damon Prison, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported.