CAT/C/35/D/247/2004
Page 5
2.5
According to the complainant, during the morning calls, all prisoners had to
leave their cells, and to stand in front of the door leading to the fire squad basement.
In addition, during his detention on death row, the execution chambers were cleaned
on 7-8 occasions; every time thereafter, the administration threatened that a series of
executions was expected.
2.6
The complainant claims that although the law stipulated that former
policemen had to be held separately, he was held together with ordinary criminals.
There was allegedly an attempt to kill him while he slept, and he was severely beaten
by his cell mates twice.
2.7
The complainant explains that after the “escape” in 1994, and until March
1995, no medical doctor visited the death section. Ill prisoners allegedly were held
together with other prisoners, surgery was made in inadequate conditions and several
prisoners died because of bad medical care.
2.8
It is further stated that immediately after the 1994 “escape”, no food or water
was supplied to the prisoners; when the supply was restored, rations were reduced by
half. Temperatures at night were below 16 Celsius, but no covers were distributed to
the prisoner between October 1994 and January 1995; covers were allowed only after
an intervention by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
2.9
The complainant gives details on the allegedly bad treatment in 1994-1996:
during the morning calls, prisoners were moved out of their cells, one by one, and
were beaten (with wooden sticks, police batons, and electric cables, inter alia), up to
the point when they fell to the ground loosing conscience. Accordingly, some 45
prisoners lost their lives in suc h circumstances.
2.10 In May 1996, the prison administration discovered hidden documents in the
complainant’s cell, in which he recorded the acts of the prison authorities against him,
and also listed persons who had died on death row as a consequence of ill-treatment
and torture. He was severely beaten; his pens and paper were confiscated. In
September 1996, a governmental delegation inspected the prison. Even though only
few prisoners filed minor complaints, since they were afraid of retaliation, all those
under sentence of death were severely beaten after the inspectors’ departure.
2.11 In October 1996, head of the prison guards allegedly beat all prisoners, thus
“celebrating” the second anniversary of the 1994 escape. The complainant was
allegedly beaten for an hour and a half.
2.12 In the autumn of 1996, a prisoner who had been released allegedly met with
the complainant’s mother and explained to her the conditions in which her son was
detained. The mother filed a complaint with the prison authorities. After this, the
complainant was beaten, threatened with death, and forced to sign a disclaimer.
2.13 In early 1997, another list of deceased prisoners was discovered in the
complainant’s cell; he was beaten again and was confined, together with his cellmates, to 3 days of isolation.