New Law for Prisons

On 23 February 2010, the House of Representatives ratified the bill reforming the rehabilitation institutions ‘prisons’. The law allows civil human rights institutions to visit these centres in order to inspect the conditions of the inmates after obtaining permission from the Ministry of Interior. This law states that ‘a detainee has the right to be visited once a week, and can be deprived of visits for a maximum of two weeks, which is renewable if the Public Prosecutor believes that it is in the interest of the investigation’. According to the law the prisoner has the right to see his wife once a week in private. Prisoners also have the right to complete their marriage procedures. Article 60 states that ‘it is not permissible to use force against inmates. Force can only be used to prevent violence, attempted escapes or to confront resistance’. Article 23 also states that a prisoner has the right to complete his education through long distance learning but at his own expense.