Haiti: 4 inmates died at Saint Marc penitentiary

Port-au-Prince, May 16 (Prensa Latina) Four prisoners died at the Saint Marc civil prison, northwest of Haiti´s capital, as a consequence of the penitentiary´s poor conditions, as condemned by the Coordinator of Collective of Lawyers for the Defense of Human Rights Arnel Rémy.

May 16, 2023
19:33

Rémy, who called for assistance from local authorities to solve the extreme situation, also warned about problems at Cabaret women’s prison, which currently has no access to drinking water.

According to Rémy, inmates´ situation is increasingly worsening, while Haiti´s chronic insecurity shows an impact on inmates´ lives.

Deaths in prisons have ramped up since last year given penitentiaries´ poor conditions, lack of food and water, in addition to a 401% overpopulation, according to a report from the UN Integrated Office.

Haiti´s Justice Ministry reported that one in eight inmates is in prolonged pre-trial detention, and out of 11,718 prisoners, only 1,935 were sentenced by a judge.

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