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	Pandemic potentially a 'death sentence' for many prison inmates, experts warn by Hannah Summers Penal Reform International, Guardian News   Chronic overcrowding and underfunding have left prisons around the world vulnerable to being ravaged by coronavirus, criminal justice experts have warned.   The challenges of a record global prison population of 11 million have been brought to light in a report published by Penal Reform International (PRI) which found that 102 countries have prison occupancy levels of more than 110%.   Social distancing and personal infection control are almost impossible in overcrowded settings where poor ventilation and sanitation are likely increase the speed at which the virus spreads.   Florian Irminger, executive director of PRI, said: 'Prison systems globally were at crisis point before the coronavirus pandemic. Now prisons across the world are ticking time bombs set to be devastated by this virus because of overcrowding, lack of basic healthcare, limited access to clean water and inhumane living conditions'.   In Bangladesh 10 doctors serve 68 prisons, while Ghana has two doctors covering 46 prisons with 15,000 inmates.   Overcrowding and inhumane detention conditions are key factors contributing to poor health, said the report, published jointly with the Thailand Institute of Justice. In October 2019, 45 deaths caused by malnutrition and lack of medical care were reported in Bukavu prison in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which exceeds its capacity by 528%.   Outbreaks of Covid-19 and deaths from the virus have been recorded in prisons in numerous countries including China, Iran, Kenya, India, Belgium, Spain and the UK.   There are grave concerns about the impact the pandemic will have on prisons across sub-Saharan Africa, where the full force of Covid-19 is yet to be felt.   Doreen Namyalo Kyazze, PRI's Africa programme manager in Kampala, said: 'It is frankly terrifying to think how Covid-19 will impact on prisons in the region, which are some of the most severely overcrowded in the world and are extremely lacking in healthcare services, as well as the most basic sanitary conditions.   In some cases, civil society has had to provide vital supplies for prisoners such as soap, basins, water and medicines to meet their basic health needs'.   One female inmate at a Sierra Leone prison told researchers: 'We have been deprived of water as there is no tap and the well gets dry. We have to manage with the limited water we have'.   A prison officer at the same facility revealed there were 64 inmates living in a space designed for 18: 'Overcrowding is a big challenge in terms of where to keep inmates and how to ensure hygiene and water supply. We have been using offices as cells for inmates, some even share a bed because there is no space'.   Olivia Rope, director of policy at PRI, said only bold, coordinated international action could mitigate the damage of Covid-19 in prisons, where the mortality rate is already up to 50% higher than in the outside world.   'Your life is literally at greater risk when detained and violence in places of detention is increasing, with crisis responses triggering the use of riot squads, which often turn out to be fatal', she said.   Prisons in more than 100 countries operate above their occupancy rates, with 20 countries at double their capacity limit. 'The spread of Covid-19 in some of these prisons could and in some cases is already a death sentence', said Rope.   Pakistan has 10,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 98 confirmed cases in prisons according to Sarah Belal of the Justice Project Pakistan. Both figures are thought to be grossly underestimated due to lack of widespread testing.   The virus has lifted the lid on existing systemic issues, said Belal: 'The capacity of our prisons is 63,000 but we have 74,118 prisoners there is just no way we have the capacity to manage with the number of people that are in our prisons, neither do we have the resources'.   In Punjab alone, before Covid-19 there were 108 vacant posts for medical officers, there is usually one in each prison - 10% of Punjab prisons did not have ambulances, and the rate of tuberculosis and hepatitis was rampant. You are looking at a population that is already extremely vulnerable to dying of an infectious disease like Covid-19.   The UN assistant secretary general for human rights, Ilze Brands Kehris, has called on states to reduce their prison populations, including by releasing those who are vulnerable to the virus or are low-risk offenders.   Measures have already been taken in some countries that have suffered outbreaks. In France, courts were asked to delay short-term prison sentences, while states including Iran and Kenya opted to release some people from prison early.   In the UK, where the Ministry of Justice confirmed earlier this week that 15 prisoners have died from Covid-19, the government's temporary release scheme to combat the spread of the virus had to be suspended after six inmates were mistakenly freed. Plans to release 4,000 risk-assessed prisoners within two months of release are due to resume this week.   http://www.penalreform.org/news/we-want-to-prevent-covid-19-rampaging-through/ http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/23/pandemic-potentially-a-death-sentence-for-many-prison-inmates-experts-warn http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Executions/HumanRightsDispatch_2_PlacesofDetention.pdf Visit the related web page
	Human rights are about the dignity and worth of the human person by Antonio Guterres, Peter Maurer ICRC, United Nations   24 Feb. 2020   Address by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to the UN Human Rights Council (Extract):   Human rights are about the dignity and worth of the human person. They expand the horizons of hope, enlarge the boundaries of the possible, and unleash the best of ourselves and our world.   Human rights are our ultimate tool to help societies grow in freedom. To ensure equality for women and girls. To advance sustainable development. To prevent conflict, reduce human suffering and build a just and equitable world.   As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims, human rights are humanity's highest aspiration. Progress in one corner of the globe nourishes progress in another.   I have seen it. And I have lived it. I grew up under the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal and did not experience democracy until I was twenty-four years old. I saw the dictatorship oppress not only its own citizens, but also people under colonial rule in Africa.   But it was the human rights struggles and successes of others around the world that inspired us.   Over the decades, the efforts of many have ushered in human rights gains on all continents. Colonial rule and apartheid were overcome. Dictatorships have fallen. Democracy has spread.   Landmark covenants spell out the full range of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.   All our societies have benefitted from human rights movements led by women, young people, minorities, indigenous peoples and others.   Yet, human rights today face growing challenges. And no country is immune.   We see civilians trapped in war-torn enclaves, starved and bombarded in clear violation of international law.   Human trafficking affecting every region in the world, preying on vulnerability and despair.   Women and girls enslaved, exploited and abused, denied the opportunity to make the most of their potential.   Civil society activists tossed in jail, and religious and ethnic minorities persecuted, under overly broad definitions of national security. Journalists killed or harassed for seeking only to do their jobs.   Minorities, indigenous people, migrants, refugees, the LGBTI community vilified as the 'other' and tormented by acts of hate.   We see global hunger on the rise and youth unemployment at alarming levels.   A new set of challenges is arising from megatrends such as the climate crisis, demographic change, rapid urbanization and the march of technology.   People are being left behind. Fears are growing. Divisions are widening. And some leaders are exploiting anxieties to broaden those gaps to the breaking point. A perverse political arithmetic has taken hold: divide people to multiply votes.   The rule of law is being eroded.   In so many places, people are rising up against political systems that fail to take them into account and economic systems that fail to deliver prosperity for all.   In the face of these tensions and tests, there is an answer: Human rights.   Human rights are the birthright of every person and in the interests of every country. They ensure stability. They build solidarity. They promote inclusion and growth.   They must never be a vehicle for double standards or a means to pursue hidden agendas.   Sovereignty remains a bedrock principle of international relations. But national sovereignty cannot be a pretext for violating human rights.   We must overcome the false dichotomy between human rights and national sovereignty. Human rights and national sovereignty go hand in hand. The promotion of human rights strengthens States and societies, thereby reinforcing sovereignty.   Our enduring challenge is to transform the ambitions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into real- world change on the ground.   Let me also underscore a fundamental point: just as we must not discriminate between people, we cannot pick and choose among human rights.   It would be a mistake to diminish economic, social and cultural rights. But it would be equally misguided to think that those rights are sufficient to answer people's yearning for freedom.   For our part, as a United Nations family, a culture of human rights must permeate all we do. Indeed, when we push for a surge of diplomacy, we are reducing human suffering and promoting human rights.   When we press for climate action, we are advancing intergenerational justice and promoting human rights.   When we call out the rise of racism, white supremacy and other forms of extremism and call for action to combat hate speech, we are upholding human rights.   Human rights are at the core of sustainable development. Human rights permeate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The vast majority of the goals and targets correspond to legally binding human rights commitments made by every Member State.   When we help lift people out of abject poverty - when we ensure education for all, notably girls - when we guarantee universal health care -- when everyone has equal access to opportunity and choice, we are enabling people to claim their rights and upholding the core pledge of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind.   This promise obliges us to tackle all forms of inequality and eliminate all forms of discrimination.   Nobody's prospects in life should be determined because of age, gender, how they look, where they live, how they worship or who they love.   And we also must focus on the needs and experiences of young people, people living with disabilities, minorities, indigenous communities, refugees, migrants and other groups facing specific challenges.   A human rights-based approach, oriented around peaceful and just societies and respect for the rule of law, delivers development that is more lasting and inclusive.   Today I call on all countries to put human rights principles and mechanisms front and centre in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, including by creating wide avenues for civil society participation.   Human rights face few greater tests than when conflicts erupt, terrorists attack or disaster strikes.   International human rights, refugee and humanitarian law can restore a measure of humanity in even the darkest moments.   Let me also underscore that even necessary efforts to combat terrorism must not compromise human rights. Otherwise, counter-terror actions will be counter-productive.   Respect for human rights is an essential crisis prevention mechanism. But when prevention falls short and violence is rampant, people need protection.   Human rights will never be realized without the human rights of women. Yet in this year in which we mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform of Action, we see a pushback against women's rights, alarming levels of femicide, attacks on women human rights defenders, and the persistence of laws and policies that perpetuate subjugation and exclusion.   Violence against women and girls is the world's most pervasive human rights abuse.   We also continue to see chronic stagnation in women's participation in political leadership roles, peace processes and economic inclusion. The gaps may vary but the roots and reasons are the same: power.   For millennia, women have been systematically silenced, marginalized and ignored. Policies and laws have been shaped largely through the experiences of only half of humanity.   We must shift our way of thinking, so that we consciously build socio-economic, governance and security systems that work for all.   As one noted expert wrote: 'If women are not perceived to be fully within the structures of power, surely it is power we need to redefine rather than women'.   Today, I call on every country to support policies and legislation that promote gender equality, repeal discriminatory laws, end violence against women and girls, ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights, and strive for women's equal representation and participation in all spheres.   Feb. 2020   Address by the ICRC President Peter Maurer to the UN Human Rights Council:   As this new decade begins, our world appears to be on an inevitable trajectory of skyrocketing humanitarian needs and rising fragility. We are all witnesses to the enormous suffering of conflict and violence on the lives of ordinary women, men and children.   During my visits this year to Libya, Somalia and Ethiopia, people told me of their distress over deadly shelling, sexual abuses, brutal droughts and floods. Against the tide of progress, they fear their children and grandchildren will suffer greater hardship and insecurity.   Climate shocks, pandemics, crime, politically-motivated violence, insecurity and inequality are entrenching the impacts of war.   The arms trade booms with profit prioritised over human life. Powerful explosive weapons are deployed in urban areas with little regard for humanitarian impacts.   Protections are wound back in the name of exceptionalist measures to 'fight terrorism'. Humanitarian aid is targeted and politicised. Military objectives and the politics of revenge are winning at the expense of human life and dignity.   Both those living in countries at war and at peace are fearful. A majority of millennials around the globe surveyed by the International Committee of the Red Cross predict there will be a catastrophic third world war or a nuclear attack in their lifetimes.   But it is not 'game over'. Most of those surveyed still believe, as I do, that wars are avoidable and limits on warfare must be implemented and defended.   People are asking for leadership to find solutions to these difficult issues:   For warring parties to cease violations; For partners and allies to exert their influence to ensure respect for the law; and for States through dialogue and action, to champion rather than sacrifice, humanitarian norms and principles.   While much has been said about the effectiveness of multilateralism, I believe this is a critical moment for States, individually and collectively, to reinforce people's faith in the norms of humanity and to restore trust that their needs will be at the heart of decision-making.   Violence between warring parties is not new and the dilemmas are not insurmountable. Across centuries societies have sought to establish customary norms and rules that ensure a minimum of humanity in the worst of circumstances.   International Humanitarian Law (IHL) calls for harm to be minimized through standards and principled action.   Today, IHL and International Human Rights Law are our universal standards of protection. As we all know, Human Rights Law is applicable in all circumstances. And IHL provides guidance against harm to civilians in armed conflict. Over the longer term, IHL's lasting benefit is to shape behaviours that not only prevent the worst human suffering during war, but by doing so may contribute to future reconciliation.   Even in the deadliest of conflicts the ICRC, as a neutral intermediary, sees how shared humanitarian objectives can help parties find common ground.   Trust-building measures, made on humanitarian grounds, can lay the foundations to mend relationships between belligerents and lead eventually to stability.   Conversely when the law is applied selectively, it can fuel resentment and a return to hostilities. I fear the possible reverberating impacts when human dignity is violated: when excessive use of force is used in managing demonstrations; when torture is accepted as solution to maintain security.   Or when well-established protections are withheld on the grounds of dehumanizing certain groups of people. States must live up to their responsibilities: no one is exempt from humanity, nor beyond the law. Accountability is for violators, not for enemies.   I do not pretend that it is easy to grapple with difficult aspects of legality, respect, trust-building and accountability, in particular in contexts of war and violence. Looking at the reality of enormous suffering, we do not have a choice but need to do better - you can do better.   If the law continues to be disregarded, the consequences will be devastating not only for individuals and communities, but for the stability of entire regions and for generations.   This is the moment for States to reverse the current trajectory, to listen to their citizens, to find the necessary political will and to put human life and dignity at the centre of all their actions. Visit the related web page
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