The Tunisian Organization Against Torture called, in a statement published this Wednesday, for the adoption of “urgent and appropriate” measures to address the effects of climate change inside prison facilities, notably through a revision of infrastructure models as well as the implementation of the necessary maintenance and upkeep work.
The organization also requested an “immediate” intervention to reduce prison overcrowding, notably through the release of detainees prosecuted or convicted of minor offenses, whether they are in preventive detention or already convicted, as well as the elderly and detainees suffering from chronic illnesses.
It further called for the release of detainees convicted under Decree-Law No. 54 concerning the fight against offenses related to information and communication systems, as well as under the Telecommunications Code.
The organization also pressed for an effective use of alternative penalties, notably community service, financial sanctions and electronic monitoring.
Finally, it urged that human rights organizations be allowed to exercise their right of access to information on the situation of detainees and to assume their role as independent watchdogs through visits to prison facilities, considering this mechanism as one of the essential guarantees for preventing violations.
