Access to legal rights
Africa
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Congo - Kinshasa
Since 2003, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has observed a de facto moratorium on executions. The authorities do not release any information regarding the application of the death penalty in the country.
Africa
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Mauritania
Mauritania has a moratorium on executions. Figures about the prisoners sentenced to death are scarce, as is information on their detention conditions. These prisoners are under the same detention regime as the rest of the prison population.
Europe
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Belarus
Belarus is the only European country where the death penalty is applied. Data relating to death sentences and executions are confidential. The time between trial and execution is very short. The country has been condemned several times for failing to respect the right to a fair trial.
Asia
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Indonesia
No execution has been recorded since 2016. The number of sentences, however, has been on the rise. Since 2014, Indonesia has increased its efforts in the war on drugs after Indonesian President Widodo described it as a “national emergency”.
Africa
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Cameroon
Since 2014, an anti-terrorism law has led to a sharp increase in death sentences in Cameroon. Official data is lacking and is sometimes inconsistent with figures published by civil society organisations.
Asia
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
Pakistan
In 2015, Pakistan accounted for 20% of executions worldwide. However, 2020 saw a suspension of executions and a decline in sentences. Currently, there are more than 4,000 prisoners sentenced to death awaiting execution.
Asia
Access to legal rights
Material conditions
Death penalty
Torture
Social ties
India
Most prisoners sentenced to death in India have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment during their judicial process. This can take several years given the duration of the procedures.
Chile: Derecho a voto en las cárceles
News
South America
Access to legal rights
Chile
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
Central America and the Caribbean
Pre-trial detention
South America
Women
Access to legal rights
Justice
A discussion about rights under threat and the consequences for women, people of colour, and marginalised groups, with Isabel Roby, legal and policy officer, Fair Trials (Latin America) and Hugo Leonardo, president of the Brazilian defence lawyers’ network.
Africa
Access to legal rights
Justice
Material conditions
South Africa
Derrick Thulani Ndlovu discusses South Africa’s justice system and prison conditions with Danielle Louw, of Ndifuna Ukwazi (‘Dare to know’), a social justice activism group based in Cape Town.
Pre-trial detention
Middle East
Access to legal rights
Health
Torture
Violence
Iraq
The United Nations accused the government of Iraq of the widespread torture of detainees held in the country’s detention centers. A U.N. report covers conditions in the centers from July 1, 2019 to April 30, 2021.
Chile: radiografía de la visita conyugal
News
South America
Women
Access to legal rights
Social ties
Chile
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
Ecuador: beneficios de prelibertad a favor de los presos tardan en otorgarse
News
South America
Access to legal rights
Justice
Alternatives
Ecuador
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
Coronavirus
Pre-trial detention
Asia
Access to legal rights
Justice
Myanmar (Burma)
The military regime has suspended trials inside Insein Prison in Yangon due to rising COVID-19 infections in the commercial capital, according to defense lawyers.
Chine : au sein du Parti communiste chinois, des pouvoirs de police discrétionnaires
News
Pre-trial detention
Asia
Access to legal rights
Justice
China
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: French
North America
Pre-trial detention
Foreign prisoners
Access to legal rights
Justice
Violence
Canada
Thousands held, systemic change needed.
Madagascar : The right to health must not be "forgotten behind bars"
Analysis
Opinion
Access to legal rights
Health
Mental health
Overcrowding
Madagascar
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Tamara Léger draws on her previous research experience to highlight the severe impact of prison overcrowding on healt…
United States: there’s an aging crisis in New York’s prisons and we need to solve it
Analysis
Opinion
North America
Elderly prisoners
Long-term prisoners
Access to legal rights
Health
United States
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Rodney Holcombe, New York State Director for Criminal Justice Reform, addresses the New York prison system and the it…
Africa: a regional campaign to decriminalise petty offences
Analysis
Opinion
Africa
Access to legal rights
Justice
Overcrowding
ICPR and Prison Insider asked several experts worldwide to share their insights in the framework of the project ‘Understanding and reducing the use of imprisonment in 10 countries’. Louise Edwards reflects on the works and challenges of the regional campaign to decriminalise petty offences.
Africa
Pre-trial detention
Access to legal rights
Justice
Material conditions
Niger
Some civil society organizations (CSOs) in Enugu State have decried the deplorable condition of awaiting trial inmates in correctional centers and police custody following the judicial workers strike.
North America
Access to legal rights
Justice
United States
The former journalist was convicted of killing a police officer in 1981, in a trial many say was suffused with racial bias.
Rusia: justicia rusa decreta prisión preventiva para Pivovarov a la espera de que se celebre el juicio en su contra
News
Pre-trial detention
Asia
Europe
Access to legal rights
Russia
This article is not available in English. This article is available in the following versions: Spanish
Yemen: detainees tortured and arbitrarily detained for years then forced into exile upon release
News
Pre-trial detention
Middle East
Foreign prisoners
Access to legal rights
Torture
Violence
Yemen
The Huthi de facto authorities in Yemen must not use arbitrarily detained prisoners as pawns in ongoing political negotiations, a new report by Amnesty International said today.
Europe: towards a binding legal framework for places of detention
Analysis
Opinion