Brussels, 15 May 2024 (MIA) - Correctional facilities in North Macedonia have made improvements in terms of hygiene and repairs in the cells, but the ill-treatment of prisoners by the police and corruption among prison personnel remain unchanged, according to a report by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) at the Council of Europe.

The report, which was published Wednesday, is based on observations made by the Committee on its periodic visit to North Macedonia in October 2023, with comparisons being made with their findings from 2019.

The visit focused on police treatment, including complaints about alleged police brutality, and the treatment of persons held in four prisons and Tetovo Correctional Educational Centre (VPD), treatment of patients and living conditions of two psychiatric hospitals, and residents in a social care home.

The Committee concluded that there has been no improvement in the treatment of imprisoned persons by the police since its 2019 visit.

"CPT received several allegations of ill-treatment by police during arrests or at the time of their questioning in an inspector's office. We call on the authorities to adopt a coherent strategy in the fight against police brutality," the report reads.

There has been a notable improvement in the Skopje, Shtip and Prilep prisons, especially in ensuring the "minimum level of hygiene and living conditions of the cells."

However, according to the report, physical ill-treatment of prisoners by staff, prolonged and indefinite isolation of problematic prisoners, inter-prisoner violence, and deplorable living conditions continue to pose a serious problem in Idrizovo Prison.

According to the Committee, this phenomenon is most prevalent in closed prisons due to overcrowding, corruption, favoritism of certain prisoners by the staff, which undermined the functionality of the institution.

Another issue is inadequate medical protection due to chronic under-staffing and medical screenings of newly arrived prisoners, as well as inadequate treatment of prisoners using narcotics, which falls on the Health Ministry to "show greater leadership in dealing with such deficiencies."

"Strategic reform of the prison system should focus on uprooting staff corruption and leadership training, and making sure that senior prison managers are appointed in a transparent, merit-based and depoliticized manner," CPT notes.

In terms of the Tetovo Correctional Educational Centre (VPD), the report found that juvenile offenders were accommodated in satisfactory conditions and offered a purposeful regime of activities aimed at their re-integration into the community by a group of committed professionals.

Nevertheless, there is also criticism of certain carceral aspects of material conditions and of the fact that compulsory educational activities had been suspended due to a lack of funding and pending the adoption of legislation.

According to the report, many patients at both Demir Hisar and Skopje Psychiatric Hospitals spoke positively about their treatment, however, the delegation discovered that "an informal segregation unit has recently been established" at the Forensic Ward of Skopje Psychiatric Hospital, where patients were held without medical supervision and individualized therapeutic activities.

The report is also critical of certain practices observed at the Demir Hisar Psychiatric Hospital of immobilizing patients to a bed with metal chains and padlocks, "which may well amount to inhuman and degrading treatment and must end immediately".

"Living conditions at the Special Institution for Mentally Disabled Persons in Demir Kapija has made improvements with transferring certain patients in apartment units within the community.  Authorities should ensure that all residents are able to benefit from an appropriate range of activities, employ more staff as well as a regular doctor," the report concludes.

The report is published under the automatic publication procedure to which the authorities of North Macedonia have agreed.ssh/ad/

Photo: MIA Archive