The relatives of the political prisoners who are detained in the Directorate of Judicial Assistance (DAJ), known as “El Chipote”, a torture prison, expressed their “concern about the conditions in which prisoners of conscience are kept and that they are causing irreversible physical and psychological damage.
In a statement released on March 21, the relatives of those detained between May and November 2021, prior to the presidential elections, indicate that they were able to see their relatives between March 17 and 19 after 50 days without having information about them. .
The relatives state that “we verify that their fundamental rights continue to be violated; In addition to not having respected at any time the due judicial process, they remain kidnapped (for more than 9 months in some cases) in completely inhuman conditions.
“The Directorate of Judicial Assistance is a temporary detention space, it is not a dependency of the National Penitentiary System, so it does not meet the minimum requirements to house people for long periods of time,” they say.
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“We have observed a general deterioration in their health: in addition to the worsening of the chronic diseases that some suffer from, they all have problems due to the conditions in which they are kept, such as skin fungus, eczema, and symptoms compatible with COVID-19” , they add.
As long as the political prisoners are not released, the relatives demand that the Mandela Rules be followed as the guarantee of hygiene, light and minimum ventilation; immediate cessation of confinement in cells of 2×2 meters; that the isolation and incommunicado end; the change of prison regime to house arrest and that a visiting schedule be established.
In addition, that they be provided with appropriate specialized medical care and appropriate medications for their health problems; compliance with internationally established basic prevention measures against COVID-19; delivery of blankets; healthy and complete diet; common hours of patio and sun and the delivery of reading and writing material, the Bible or religious texts.
