INPT made over 30 visits to prisons and detention centers since beginning of 2024 (INPT president)

Tunis: The National Authority for the Prevention of Torture (French: INPT) made more than 30 visits to prisons, detention centers and reception centers, both spontaneously and as a preventive measure, or following complaints it received, said INTP President Fathi Jarray.Speaking to TAP, on Saturday, Jarray underlined that the Authority has submitted to the public prosecutor over 100 complaints about violations since the beginning of 2024.The INPT is currently drafting a series of reports on the situation of vulnerable people kept in detention centers as well as on healthcare services in prisons, he explained.He pointed out that the report covering the period between 2018 and 2021 will be published late in June 2024 on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture observed on June 26 each year.All Tunisian prisons are overcrowded, he indicated, adding that this leads to the deterioration of the health of prisoners and prison officers. According to him, the congestion is explained by easy recou rse to custodial sentences. He pointed out that 70% of prisoners are in pre-trial detention and awaiting trial.Jarray stressed that despite attempts to improve incarceration conditions and modernize detention centers' infrastructure, violations are still a daily reality in prisons. He cited the failure to respect procedural guarantees for suspects, including, in particular, their right to be assisted by a lawyer.The INPT has submitted over 100 complaints about violations to the public prosecutor since the start of its work in 2016, without the judicial authorities having ruled on any of the cases to date, he further noted.Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse