16. Oktober 2019

 

Die folgenden Ausschnitte aus ausgewählten Quellen enthalten Informationen zu oben genannter Fragestellung (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 16. Oktober 2019):

 

·      IKRK - Internationales Komitee vom Roten Kreuz, CODEPAK - Cursor of Development and Education Pakistan; NACTA - National Counter Terrorism Agency: Addressing Overcrowding in Prisons by reducing Pre-conviction Detention in Pakistan, Mai 2018  http://codepak.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Addressing-overcrowding-in-prisons-by-reducing-pre-conviction-detention-in-Pakistan.pdf

„In Pakistan, poor conditions of detention had been chronicled in publicly available reports and news articles, regarding unbalanced food, insufficient water, inadequate accommodation. Poor access to health care, lack of hygiene, difficulties to receive family visits, lack of staff and safety security concerns.” (IKRK/CODEPAK/NACTA, Mai 2018, S. 53)

Weiterführende Informationen hierzu finden sich in dem Bericht auf den Seiten 53-56.

 

Im Folgenden werden einige Passagen und Darstellungen aus dem Bericht angeführt, die das Problem der Überbelegung von Gefängnissen in Pakistan (insbesondere in der Provinz Punjab) thematisieren:

„Occupancy rate, also known as population density, is determined by calculating the ratio of the number of prisoners present on a given day to the number of places specified in the official capacity. According to official data from all Home Departments, except in FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Area], as of October 1, 2017, there were 84,287 inmates in 112 prisons administered by the governments of the provinces/administrative territories, while the combined authorized official capacity is 53,744 in Pakistan. Therefore, prison occupancy rate in Pakistan stood at 157 percent, which translates to 57 percent overcrowding rate. Figure 3 […] may give a glimpse of the level of overcrowding by province/administrative territory in Pakistan. In terms of occupancy rate, Punjab leads at 168 percent, […].” (IKRK/CODEPAK/NACTA, Mai 2018, S. 29-30)

 

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(IKRK/CODEPAK/NACTA, Mai 2018, S. 30)

„Figure 10 […] shows that almost all Central Prisons in Punjab exceeded their official capacity, with the sole exception of that in Dera Ghazi Khan, while district prisons experienced the same phenomenon except for the ones in Vehari, Pakpattan, Hafizabad, Bhakkar, Layyah, and Narowal. On the other hand, special prisons like the juvenile prisons, women prisons, and the High Security Prison in Sahiwal still have room based on their official capacity.” (IKRK/CODEPAK/NACTA, Mai 2018, S. 37)

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(IKRK/CODEPAK/NACTA, Mai 2018, S. 37)

·      USDOS – US Department of State: Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2018 - Pakistan, 13. März 2019
https://www.ecoi.net/de/dokument/2004212.html

„Prison and Detention Center Conditions

Conditions in some civilian prisons and military detention centers were harsh and life threatening due to overcrowding, inadequate food and medical care, and unsanitary conditions.

Physical Conditions: Prison conditions often were extremely poor. Overcrowding remained a serious problem, largely due to structural issues in the criminal justice system that led to a high rate of pretrial detention. […]

Provincial governments were the primary managers of civilian prisons and detention centers.

Although quality and quantity of prison food improved, inadequate food and medical care in prisons continued to cause chronic health problems. Malnutrition remained a problem, especially among inmates unable to supplement their diets with help from family or friends. In many facilities sanitation, ventilation, lighting, and access to potable water were inadequate. Most prison facilities were antiquated and had no means to control indoor temperatures. A system existed for basic and emergency medical care, but bureaucratic procedures slowed access. Prisoners with disabilities usually lacked adequate care. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported 20 deaths due to violence in prisons as of May 20. According to an April report on Dunya News TV, in 2017 at least 145 prisoners died in Punjab province prisons of natural causes, including diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis. One former prisoner who spent 15 years in a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province jail petitioned the Peshawar High Court to direct medical testing of the province’s inmate population, claiming 12 inmates at the jail in which he was incarcerated were HIV positive, and approximately 50 had hepatitis. The former prisoner also petitioned for disclosure of the province’s prison capacity and actual population, claiming the institution in which he was incarcerated had a capacity of 125 and a population of 640. […]

Due to lack of infrastructure, police often did not segregate detainees from convicted criminals, although Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces were in the process of constructing new prisons focused on modern segregation mechanisms to address this issue, as well as overcrowding.

Administration: There was an ombudsman for detainees, with a central office in Islamabad and offices in each province. Inspectors General of prisons irregularly visited prisons and detention facilities to monitor conditions and handle complaints.

By law, prison authorities must permit prisoners and detainees to submit complaints to judicial authorities without censorship and to request investigation of credible allegations of inhumane conditions. There were reports, however, that prisoners refrained from submitting complaints to avoid retaliation from jail authorities. The law also provides for visitation privileges, but overcrowding and lack of adequate visitor facilities in some prisons restricted detainees’ ability to receive visits. In most cases, authorities allowed prisoners to observe their religious traditions.

Independent Monitoring: International organizations responsible for monitoring prisons reported difficulty accessing some detention sites, in particular those holding security-related detainees. Authorities did not allow international organizations access to detention centers most affected by violence in KP [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa], FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Area], and Balochistan. Authorities at the local, provincial, and national levels permitted some human rights groups and journalists to monitor prison conditions of juveniles and female inmates.” (USDOS, 13. März 2019, Section 1c)

·      DFAT – Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: DFAT Country Information Report Pakistan, 20. Februar 2019
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2004005/country-information-report-pakistan.pdf

„Conditions in adult detention and prison facilities in Pakistan do not meet international standards due to under-resourcing, overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions. […]

While DFAT understands prison conditions have improved over the last decade, hygiene and family meetings remain inadequate. Children born in prison are required to remain in prison. Plans for water filtration in prisons remain unimplemented and prisoners drink contaminated water. Medical visits generally occur only twice a year and no allied health services, such as psycho-social support. Pakistan’s adult and juvenile prisons lack teachers and education programs, legal assistance, and on-site medical services. Prisoners are sent to local hospitals should treatment be required.

Pakistan has limited facilities for juvenile offenders, many of whom are incarcerated with adults (see Children). Sources report sexual violence, especially towards juvenile males, is common in the prison system, and HIV afflicts many prisoners (see Health).

Local sources report the existence of so called ‘death cells,’ akin to solitary confinement. DFAT is aware of reports of individuals confined in death cells for four decades. Local sources also claim that prisoners with money and influence can have a very comfortable life in prison and, in some cases, can serve a sentence in their own home. Other sources claim that influential convicted criminals have organised for other individuals to serve their sentences.

The UK Home Office estimated that, in April 2015, around 70 per cent of detainees were awaiting trial. Organisations working with prisoners claim up to 80 per cent of prisoners are likely innocent.” (DFAT, 20. Februar 2019, S. 65-66)

·      The Guardian: British child raised in Pakistan jail returned to UK without mother, 3. März 2019
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/03/british-child-raised-in-pakistan-jail-returned-to-uk-without-mother-khadija-shah

„A six-year-old girl who has spent her entire life inside a Pakistani prison after her British mother was convicted of drug trafficking has been released and returned to the UK [United Kingdom]. Khadija Shah, 32, gave birth to her daughter Malaika while serving a life sentence inside the notorious Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, in the Punjab province. […]

Adiala prison is known for its dangerously unhygienic conditions, and saw a serious outbreak of tuberculosis in 2012. In a 2007 report on overcrowded Punjab prisons, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn said: ‘Adiala inmates constantly complain of harsh and brutal prison conditions, especially of overcrowding, filth and stinking toilets.’” (The Guardian, 3. März 2019)