Middle East

July 22, 2020

Iran: Regime seeks pressure on dissidents, minorities through executions

News

Middle East Justice Death penalty Iran

The executions were described by Amnesty International as “an alarming escalation in use of the death penalty against protesters, dissidents and members of minority groups in Iran.” Read more

July 15, 2020

Turkey: les écrits de prison, un genre littéraire à part entière

News

Culture Asia Europe Middle East Turkey

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

June 18, 2020

Global Prison Trends 2020

Report

Africa Asia Europe Middle East Oceania Material conditions Overcrowding

Over 11 million people are held in prisons worldwide. Many face substandard detention conditions. Sentences keep getting longer, in underfunded justice systems. PRI has published its annual report on the state of prisons and the use of imprisonment: Global Prison Trends 2020. Read more

June 11, 2020

Yemen: rights group says detainees face ‘slow death’ in prison

News

Middle East Health Material conditions Yemen

The Yemeni Abductees’ Mothers Association in the city of Aden yesterday warned that the detainees in Bir Ahmed Prison are facing a “slow death” due to ill-treatment by the prison administration. The group said in a statement that the prison administration deliberately mistreats detainees by cutting off…

Source — Middle East Monitor

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June 11, 2020

United Arab Emirates : reported Covid-19 prison outbreaks

News

Coronavirus Middle East Health United Arab Emirates

(Beirut) – UAE prison authorities should take urgent measures to protect the mental and physical health of prisoners amid reported Covid-19 outbreaks in at least three detention facilities across the country, Human Rights Watch said today. Family members of prisoners in al-Wathba prison near Abu Dhabi,…

Source — Human Rights Watch

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May 19, 2020

Turkey: prisons, le pays développe "un modèle inhumain"

News

Pre-trial detention Europe Middle East Justice Turkey

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

May 19, 2020

Unclear fates behind bars

Interview

Africa Pre-trial detention Asia Europe Middle East Oceania

“Since 2000, the overall number of pre-trial detainees has increased by 30%”. They are now up to three million people to be held awaiting trial around the world. What is the purpose of pre-trial detention? How it is used around the world? Read more

May 14, 2020

Israel: Middle East Monitor UN officials call on Israel to release Palestinian children from prison

News

Coronavirus Minors Middle East Israel

In a joint press statement sent to MEMO on Sunday, senior UN officials have called on Israel to release Palestinian children from prison in the light of the spread of Covid-19. “We are seriously concerned over the continued detention of Palestinian children by the Israeli authorities,” said Jamie McGoldrick,…

Source — Middle Esat Monitor

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May 14, 2020

Iran: Ahwazi detainees’ families stage protests at Shaiban Prison against inhuman treatment

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Middle East Protest Torture Iran

Ahwazi detainees’ families protested outside the infamous Shaiban Prison in the regional capital, Ahwaz, on Saturday May 9, demanding access to their loved ones’ and information on their condition and wellbeing. During their protests, the desperately worried families angrily mocked the regime’s claims…

Source — Dur Untash Studies Centre

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May 14, 2020

Coronavirus: distintos países del mundo descongestionan las cárceles

News

Africa Coronavirus North America Europe Middle East Oceania Justice

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

May 5, 2020

Turkey: a life in isolation

Interview

Europe LGBTI Middle East Access to legal rights Material conditions Facilities Turkey

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) prisoners represent a minority. Their protection is not ensured at all levels and their specific needs are neglected. Hilal Basak Demirbas works at the Society in the Penal System association. She regularly exchanges letters with LGBTI prisoners… Read more

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 of…

Source — Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

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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. Read more

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

March 18, 2020

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

News

Coronavirus Middle East Health Iran

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told reporters the inmates were allowed out of prison after testing negative for Covid-19 and posting bail. “Security prisoners” sentenced to more than five years will not be let out. The jailed British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe may be…

Source — BBC

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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 31/12/2020 Read more

February 12, 2020

Syria: dans une prison avec les jihadistes

News

Foreign prisoners Middle East Health Overcrowding

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

February 7, 2020

Turkey: we are not likely to be freed from prison before the outside world becomes free

News

Women Europe Middle East Activities Turkey

Arrested in Kandıra Type F Prison, former HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ says that she has started playing a musical instrument in prison: “I make no claim in arts, my days in prison are turning into a lively and smooth life.”

Source — Bianet

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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.

Source — Middle East Monitor

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January 21, 2020

“Parodies of justice” in Iraq

Interview

Foreign prisoners Middle East 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. Read more

January 15, 2020

Turkey: déportations de prisonniers, la pratique courante

News

Europe Middle East Justice Turkey

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

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.

Source — European Eye on Radicalisation

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December 18, 2019

Turkey: prison population increases by 14 percent in one year

News

Minors Europe Middle East Justice Turkey

According to the “Prison Statistics 2018” of the TurkStat, prison population of Turkey has increased by 14 percent in one year. As of December 31, 2018, there were 264 thousand 842 people behind bars, the Institute has informed.

Source — Bianet

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