MonInfo reports: Manfred Nowak, a UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, presented his report on a mission to Mongolia at the second session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 20 in Geneva, stating violations were rife in Mongolia’s legal system. Nowak worked in Mongolia in June, 2005 and compared it to other countries he worked in with similarities, such as Georgia and Nepal.
The Special Rapporteur concluded that torture persists, particularly in police stations and pre-trial detention facilities. He expressed concern at the secrecy surrounding the application of the death penalty and the cruel treatment of prisoners on death row.
Nowak especially expressed concerns about the situation of prisoners subjected to the special isolation regime at Prison No. 405 (Takhir Soyot).
“In the view of the Special Rapporteur the special isolation regime, where prisoners serve 30-year terms in virtual total isolation, is contrary to article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and amounts to cruel and inhuman treatment.”
Seded Bataa (name as it appeared in the report) died on July 22, 2005, in custody in Prison No. 405 (Tahir Soyot), following his transfer from Zuunmod Pretrial Detention Centre on July 5, 2005.
“On his arrival, Seded Bataa was bloated, unable to speak, and in very poor health. His family was not informed of his poor health, and he did not receive treatment nor was he seen by any doctor. Although the postmortem listed the cause of death as tuberculosis, his corpse did not present the normal indications for this disease such as appearing gaunt or emaciated. Rather, his corpse presented, among other things, welts and bruising around the wrists and ankles consistent with accounts of being continuously handcuffed and shackled in his cell.
“When he was last seen by family members in May 2005, Seded Bataa did not complain of tuberculosis and did not request any need for treatment in this regard. Following his death, the police warned Seded Bataa’s family that if they registered a complaint, his body would not be returned for burial as the investigation would be protracted. The family reluctantly complied and the body was cremated on 29 July. His personal effects, including a diary have not been returned.” (Report excerpt)
Article continued at: www.moninfo.org/content/view/260/8/lang,en/
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