The Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission (PDRC) welcomed the announcement of ending the hunger strike of inmates in Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre in Jau after the beginning of the development of the services delivered to them.
The commission also highlighted the positive response of the Reformation and Rehabilitation Directorate at the Interior Ministry and the Jau Centre management to the recommendations in its report following its unannounced visit to the centre on August 25. The report included several remarks, including the demands submitted by some inmates related to administrative and organisational matters, which were also previously addressed in the statement issued by the Office of the Ombudsman last August.
The PDRC affirmed that the Ministry of Interior’s positive response to its recommendations is in line with its strategy aimed at promoting human rights in all its facilities, particularly in correctional and rehabilitation centres.
The Minister of the Interior met the President of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR), the Chairman of the PDRC, and the Ombudswoman, with whom he discussed improving health services provided to inmates by the Government Hospitals Administration, reviewing the system of visits, and increasing outdoors time, among other matters.
The PDRC indicated that the management of the Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre in Jau had dealt with the hunger strike of some inmates with a great degree of professionalism and in accordance with the mandate granted to it in the Correction and Rehabilitation Institution Law 18 of 2014 and its executive bylaws.
The commission affirmed that the Jau Centre’s management had previously assured the hunger striking inmates that it understands their demands as long as they are within the law and in accordance with the administrative powers available to the centre’s officials.
The Jau Centre management has supported the role played by the independent national mechanisms, like the PDRC, Ombudsman’s Office, and the NIHR during their field inspection visits to the centre, the commission said.
The PDRC affirmed that it will continue to monitor the situation of inmates at Jau Centre, in order to contribute to improving their conditions through executive and administrative rules and procedures, some of which require legal and legislative action, according to relevant constitutional mechanisms pertaining to those cases.
The commission urged the public to utilise the services provided by the independent national justice mechanisms which operate within the framework of the criminal justice system, to ensure the application of the rule of law and respect for human rights principles in the work of law enforcement agencies.
Source: Bahrain News Agency