Search Results for: prison overcrowding

A census released Monday revealed almost one sixth of inmates in Ecuador’s prisons are yet to be sentenced. President Guillermo Lasso announced that the census would be used to help government form new public policy to tackle overcrowding and enforce human rights in Ecuadorian prisons. The 2023 Prison Census—the first of its kind in Ecuador—collected [...]

At least 12 inmates were killed Friday following gang-related riots at an Ecuadorian prison. In an announcement, a Quito-based advocacy group reported that 12 were killed and three were injured in riots at the Litoral Penitentiary in the city of Guayaquil. The group, the National Comprehensive Care Service for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent [...]

Amnesty International reported Monday that authorities in El Salvador are “systematically committing human rights violations” as a result of the country’s aggressive new anti-gang policies. The crackdown, which began in March 2022, has resulted in the detention of 66,000 people as well as 132 deaths in state custody. The Salvadoran government has been accused of [...]

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Tuesday called for authorities in El Salvador to address human rights concerns as the nation marks one year in a state of emergency. Authorities enacted the state of emergency on March 27, 2022 following a wave of gang-related murders. The measure was initially for [...]

UK charity organisation Refugee Action Thursday reported that the UK’s asylum housing system is “cruel by design,” and outlined the poor conditions and systems of racialised segregation towards the asylum seekers. The report chronicles one hundred interviews with asylum seekers situated in hotels in London, Manchester, West Midlands and Bradford. According to the report, asylum [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced Friday that a leaked database provided evidence of mass human rights abuses in El Salvador, including due process violations, extreme prison overcrowding, and deaths in custody. The database, likely obtained from the Ministry of Public Safety, is said to contain the names, ages, and genders of those prosecuted during the [...]

Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness Tuesday enacted a state of emergency to combat rising violence in two separate orders. The first order targets the densely-populated capital district parishes of Clarendon and St. Catherine and portions of Kingston and St. Andrews. The second order covers the parishes of St. James, Westmoreland and Hanover. The two [...]

Amnesty International Thursday reported that authorities in El Salvador have committed massive human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions and due process’ violations, torture and ill-treatment, under the pretext of an ongoing state emergency. President Nayib Bukele declared an emergency in March after claiming that the nation experienced a sudden rise in homicides by gangs like [...]

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Friday said that there is growing evidence of war crimes in Ukraine, with accusations leveled against both sides in the conflict. Michelle Bachelet said that since the beginning of the war nearly eight weeks ago, “International humanitarian law has not merely been ignored but seemingly tossed aside.” The Human [...]

This article was co-authored by JURIST South Asia Bureau Chief Ananaya Agrawal and Ishan Bhatnagar, both of whom are students at National Law University, Delhi in India As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, rights discourse in several countries has sparked concerns about the welfare of more marginalized groups who tend to be at once [...]