Prison violence once again puts human rights in jeopardy

Reports of mistreatment, torture and inhumane overcrowding in detention facilities continue unabated in various parts of the world. Humanitarian bodies are once again sounding the alarm.

Violence in penitentiary facilities is one of the major points of debate in the struggle for human rights around the world. Every year, thousands of people deprived of their liberty are subjected to mistreatment, abysmal housing conditions, hunger, abuse of authority and even acts of torture, in the face of systems that appear indifferent to these facts. Humanitarian bodies are once again warning of the need for states to take responsibility and guarantee human rights in places of confinement.

Over the past year, there have been multiple examples of violence in prisons around the world, driven by various social and political contexts. Authoritarian regimes, corrupt prison systems and methods of punishing vulnerable populations are some of the examples that have put countries such as El Salvador, the United States and Venezuela under international scrutiny.

Most recently, the spotlight has turned to Hong Kong, a territory that has been a scene of geopolitical tension because of its persecution of dissident activists. According to an Amnesty International report, various investigations have gathered statements from people held in detention centers under inhumane conditions. High temperatures, physical violence and arbitrary and prolonged isolation are some of the ills reported by these people, who were deprived of their liberty between 2016 and 2023. 

The testimonies now coming to light add to a long history of complaints against the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department, relating to matters such as the frequent beatings and abuse inflicted on inmates in that region.

Prison violence in Argentina

What has been revealed in the Asian territory is just one example of a systematic violence that manifests itself in many prison systems around the world. Complaints from human rights bodies, meanwhile, seek a response from the state's judicial apparatus and, in many cases, at the international level. This was recently the case with Argentina. 

The country governed by Javier Milei was called upon last October by the United Nations Committee against Torture to respond regarding the human rights situation. Among the many points analyzed in the reports submitted by more than twenty humanitarian organizations, violations of rights in contexts of confinement and detention stood out. 

In addition to repressive violence in the streets, the United Nations assessment condemned factors such as overcrowding in Argentine prisons, especially in facilities that do not meet the appropriate international standards for long-term detention. In a statement in response, the Argentine government rejected these observations and even accused the UN of applying “selective criteria.”

Prisons to repress activism 

In the case of El Salvador, there have been constant complaints about the human rights situation, and about how prisons have become places of punishment for activists working for humanitarian causes. In addition to criminalizing dissident political activism, the state exposes activists to a prison system riddled with irregularities such as discretionary detentions without evidence, in violation of institutional guarantees and with arbitrary periods of confinement. 

Likewise, Amnesty International has reported that, once in prison, these people are subjected to prolonged incommunicado detention, lack of access to medical care and overcrowded cells. Cases such as those of activists Ruth López and Fidel Zavala have become examples of these abuses. 

The U.S. and detained migrants 

In the United States, the criticisms leveled at the prison system are well known, especially regarding migrant populations. Indeed, this year the organization Human Rights Watch released a report on the situation in detention centers for migrants and the conditions in which they are held captive there. The humanitarian organization has pointed out that the multiple rights violations are not isolated, but respond to a systematic pattern of abuse of authority against this vulnerable group. 

Human Rights Watch has cited the example of detention centers in the Florida area, one of the country's major migration hubs. There, it describes how Donald Trump's policies have increased migrant detentions as part of his security program, leading to a gradual saturation of the prison system. In some cases, facilities in the Florida area have been found to exceed their housing capacity by as much as three times. 

Added to this are complaints about detentions without medical care, arbitrary shackling and extortionate practices to keep inmates from requesting care. In its report, Human Rights Watch gave testimony of inmates forced to eat with their hands cuffed behind their backs, eating only with their mouths over the plate.  

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia