United Nations Radio

Prisoners in many places are subject to cruelty and abuse that often do not filter outside the prison walls.

man in prison

Amongst detainees, people with a mental or physical disability suffer even worse forms of discrimination and humiliation. Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Forms of Cruel and Degrading Treatment, has seen first-hand how prisoners with disabilities are treated.

NOWAK: My experience during my missions in many countries of the world shows that detainees in general are a very vulnerable and discriminated group and within detainees, persons with mental or physical disabilities are often the most vulnerable and the most discriminated category.

SAMBIRA: Is it something that is on the rise in countries, and what countries?

NOWAK: I would say in general, prison conditions in many countries of the world are actually getting worse. That is partly because the number of persons detained is rising and that means detention facilities are getting more and more crowded and persons with disabilities are usually in hierarchy of prisoners the most vulnerable so they have the lowest standards.

SAMBIRA: You also speak in favor of reparation and rehabilitation for victims of torture, what is being done in this aspect?

NOWAK: Unfortunately, this focus of the Convention of Torture is not taken seriously in many countries of the world. It is very difficult for victims of torture even if they are represented by lawyers to litigate in order to be provided with adequate reparation.

SAMBIRA: If you were to grade the countries according to their best record and the worst record on torture?

NOWAK: Recently, the end of 2008, I visited Equatoria Guinea and again found systematic practice of torture and the worst prison conditions I have seen so far. In particular, in police detention, the detainees were not provided with food, not with water. There were no toilets even so they had to use plastic bottles and plastic bags for urinating and defecating and they were dependent on the families for providing them with food and water and at the same time always having the fear of being subjected to torture

SAMBIRA: What is your message to people listening to us for this international day?

NOWAK: If governments have not eradicated torture it is not poverty, it is lack of political will.Very often it is the consequence of the fact that the whole system of criminal justice is not working.  The second main message is that the conditions of detention in many countries of the world by itself constitute inhuman and degrading treatment.

SAMBIRA: That was Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other forms of cruel and degrading treatment.

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