Prisoners in the Seenu Gan temporary jail, run by the MNDF, are being deprived of basic human rights according to an anonymous source claiming familiarity with the matter.
“[Inmates] are kept in small cages, four per block, they have to urinate in small water bottles, and if they want to use the toilet they are blindfolded, handcuffed and escorted by two guards,” the source told Minivan News.
Around 40 inmates were transfered to the temporary jail last October, after a fire caused by the inmates led to congestion in Maafushi jail.
When the prisoners were first transferred to the MNDF-run prison in Gan they were kept blindfolded and restrained for 72 hours, the source claimed.
“They have been here for three months now. It’s difficult to contact the outside world, and it was a long time before their families even heard from them. Inmates are being deprived of even the most basic necessities, even little things like soap, toothpaste and clothes are scarce. They feel they are not being given their rights.”
Contact with the outside world was minimal, “and they can’t see their parents, wives or children.”
The prisoners had previously gone on a hunger strike in protest at their treatment, the source claimed, and in response four were allegedly taken into a nearby wood and tied up for three days.
In addition, the source said the proximity to a military base meant the prisoners “hear gunshots all the time and can’t sleep at night.”
Most of the 40 inmates transferred to the prison were serving time for “small” convictions, “around five years”, the source claimed, and felt they should be treated as civilian rather than military prisoners as their court sentences had dictated.
Response
Minivan News attempted to contact the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) to confirm the allegations but was referred to the MNDF.
Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Didi, in charge of the Gan MNDF base, said “the reason they are here is because they burnt the jail [at Maafushi], and a place was needed to keep them temporarily. This place was chosen,” he said.
“This is a military training base, not a proper jail. We can’t provide facilities to the inmates for things such as family visits. As for matters such as toilets, we are doing the best we can, but they have to remember this is a military base and we can’t give them five star service.”
Asked how he felt about being given the prisoners to look after, Didi said “it is not an issue of us being burdened with prisoners. That there was no place for the prisoners after the jail was burned is a national issue, and the government asked us to look after them.”
Didi said the prisoners were monitored by the military “to ensure there isn’t any violence going on. We also have to keep in mind the safety of the people of Addu and international airport. The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) recently came and did a report.”
Ahmed Saleem, president of the HRCM said the organisation had been made aware of a problem at Gan jail.
“We have recently received reports of this as well, and we are investigating the case,” he said.
“We have no problem with the MNDF guarding the perimeter [of the prison], but direct contact with the inmates should be by civil authorities. MNDF personnel will treat the inmates like prisoners-of-war, not criminals.”
Saleem added that the prisoners were at the temporary prison because some inmates set fire to the Maafushi jail, and “there wasn’t enough space there. We don’t want to release them, but they needed to be treated humanely.”
Treatment of prisoners in the Maldives had changed over the last few years, he said, “and the police have a very positive policy now. But there are always going to be individuals [involved in mistreatment].”
Fathmath Afiya from the Society for Women Against Drugs (SWAD) said “we have received information about this as well, and recently sent a letter to the parliament asking that the conditions in the Gan jail be improved.”
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Isn't it against our constitution for the military to be in control of prisons? There is a certain body that is there to "take care of" prisoners...
Why is the military in charge of Gan jail?
Is there any way such a decision can be lawfully justified?
Or is this a matter of bending the rules & laws?
Will we keep repeating the lack of accountability of former days?
The conditions at Gan jail definitely is the type of inhumanity the current govt spoke against and their main source of power from people support...when they were the opposition to Gayoom's injustices. On top of bending the laws by having the military in charge of a jail.
This is not a change a people voted for...
I live in a small cage like room in Male'
Shouldn't you write a story on that?
Why is everyone focused only on the rights of people who rape and kill?
when will society start thinking of the ones who do not commit crimes, the ones who starve without food, the ones who are not given food on government budget, the ones who don't even have a cage to sleep in, the ones who sleep around Male' at the small parks.
I firmly believe that it is these people who are old and young, without food, without a place to stay, and who do not rape, kill, or commit crimes that should first be given a bed, and be fed on government budget through a good welfare system.
Wow, thess are the conditions in a prison in the new Maldives. Some people sure have forgotten what they went through, and its only been a year since they came to power?? I saw the police in malé struggle to catch a wayward goat recently and they brought rope and tied it around its limbs, when they had so many other easier options... but this is the mentality and unless that changes, nothing else will.
if the so called rights are for these psychopaths, i think i should leave my job and make a gang sell drugs and kill few guys in male broad daylight and go to jail where I'll be treated as European tourist in five star hotel ..
These are the people who repeatedly set fire on the prison. The only reason why there exists no other safe place to keep them is only because of them. So till the new jail has been built, they will have to live with the consequences only they brought on to themselves. There is no other option. No other prison. No safe way to keep them.
The concept of human rights in this country appears to be limited to those of criminal's rights only. When will the Human Rights Commission have enough depth of human rights issues to focus on the human rights of ordinary citizens that are being violated beacuse of the deliberate actions of these prisoners and criminals that the Commission is so eager to protect? Why can't anybody in the Commission see that the ordinary citizens of this country do not actually have the basic human right of safety anymore? Its all very well to talk about under what conditions the prisoners are living in, but what about the innocent people who get stabbed practically every night by these drug addicts and thieves and such criminals? There is actually no point in having a so called independent institution called the Human Rights Commission, as they have to date not been able to protect the basic human rights of the people of this country, unless they end up in Prison! I suggest the Human Rights Commission name be changed to "Criminals Rights Commission", then atleast we won't be living under any illusion that there actually is a body spending public money to promote the human rights of us ordinary people!
This article is rubbish, you should ask your self first why are the prisoners there in addu. Did the person who this article forget that few months ago the prisoners burned down the jail hence they are now in the temporary prison.
You cant expect that a ready made back-up prison should be there? Does journalist want the government to pay for tickets of these rapists and murders family members so they can visit them? While we law abiding citizen are trying to survive the increase of electricity bill and lowered salary.
This is the change we voted for: tough stand against criminals. They burnt down the prison, they should be happy they have roof over there head and that they get free food and medical. That more than what we law abiding citizens get from the government.
Standard of the articles in Minivan news has really been dropping lately.
@ Mariyam Mohamed:
I've been living in a cage in Male' for the whole of my life. I agree with you on the fact that more needs to be done to better the life of the ordinary person.
I also believe that how a society treats its criminals is a reflection of how it would treat its normal citizens. Unless we can come to terms with the fact that criminals have rights and they need to be treated like human beings we will not truly appreciate the rights of the normal citizen.
unbelievable! i am schocked to read these comments in favor of the prison condition in gan. such comments encourage prison guards to continue commit these cruel activities. if no one is bothered about the prison guards, one day we will be woken up with the sad news of another evan naseem. thats a day neither the government nor their supporters would want to see.
@ Mariyam mohamed and Bettina
No one is keeping you in these "cages". You have a choice, the prisoners dont.
So what do you exactly want?
If you take a look around you you'll see that it is not only these criminals that are deprived of their rights. The government already spends on average a staggering 800 Rf per day per person in the prison. Isn't this enough for a country where majority of the population live in relative poverty?
They sell drugs, rape women, kill people etc and a relatively small % are convicted thanx to the system. Next thing they burn down the jail and you expect the government to build a brand new palace for them while they are trying to cut down expenditure on hospitals and schools?
Why are some people obsessed with prisoners any way?
Prisoners must serve their terms in accordance with their sentence. they must take responsibility for what they do. I do not have any sympathy towards criminals.
I agree with some of the comments here prisoners are entitled to basic facilities. Instead of providing luxaries to them funds should go towards assisting the law abiding needy.
Maldives is History readers!
Our constitution says we all have RIGHTS! And we definitely have our rights. But getting it totally is another story!!!!!!!
Laws to govern and let be governed is NOT YET complete!
Until then (god knows better, perhaps before the end of this parliamentary term), please be content!
I cant believe why people don't want to consider the authentic scene or why they don't want to understand the reality. I know most of them are labeled with one option. The party option!
I do believe there are other preferences rather than keeping in a cage.
We should break the egoism within us which has been in our culture for a long time and I think we must start restructuring the nation by using people not followers or factions.
We are forgetting that the prisoners themselves have situated them in that condition, by burning the place where they were before!
Why in the first place they are there, in the prison? Because they have not given the respect to the law and done the crimes! So if their basic rights are met I don't see why we should worry of housing them in HOMES. I am sure very soon adequate facility will be raised. So till then they should tolerate, like we all do at times.
We should send these pictures to Amnesty International as previously President Nasheed and cronies did to destroy the credibility of every institute in this country, Why not today, these are clear violations of human rights and dignity. What are are our values and belief as fellow human beings to treat other human beings in this way, whether they are criminals or not.
the so called 'HUMAN RIGHTS' should be re-registerd n called 'JAIL RIGHTS' ... cx d only right in their view is for the inmates ...
@ fareed : nt everyone in male is rich n have the ability to afford luxurious places ... its too costly ... you should be ashamed to criticize them (mariyam mohamed and bettina) cox its nt their fault they have to live in tiny places which resemble cages ... .
i really dont understand why ppl cant stl bliev dt inmate conditions have been ignored since maumoon was in power ... all these ppl knw is to blame the current govt ... bt the truth is that these issues have come up cox of the previous govt neglecting it ...
and i strongly call out to 'HUMAN RIGHTS' a.k.a 'JAIL RIGHTS' to think of the other more needy citizens in the maldives and not only focus on these inmates ... do these ppl even care for the tsunami victims ... hell no!! all they careabout is their jail and its inmates ...