Death row prisoners suffer from mental health issues: SHRC

Commission calls for improvement in healthcare services in Central Jail Hyderabad

HYDERABAD

The death row prisoners in Central Jail Hyderabad are encountering mental health issues which necessitate improved healthcare services for them in the prison, Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has disclosed. The commission's chairperson Iqbal Ahmed Detho and its legal team member barrister Rida Tahir visited the prison on Monday to 'assess the living conditions' of the inmates serving their term.

According to the SHRC quoted statistics, some 248 prisoners living in that jail have been sentenced to death. But, among them, 88 have their appeals, pending hearings before the superior judiciary. "Disturbingly, several of these inmates are reported to be experiencing mental health issues, highlighting the urgent need for improved medical and psychological support systems within the prison as well as their referral to tertiary mental hospitals for rehabilitation," the chairperson observed. Detho said the commission is committed to ensure that the rights and dignity of the prisoners condemned with the capital punishment are upheld in line with human rights principles and international standards while also keeping in sight the Supreme Court's judgment in the Safia Bano case.

The commission also stressed on the need of periodic inspections in order to regularly assess the prisons in the province and to see that the prison authorities are fulfilling the obligatory legal and human rights of the inmates. Detho said, a set of issues were identified and communicated to the prison officials.

The SHRC further recommended the transfer of prisoners, hailing from Mirpurkhas division, in the central jail Hyderabad to the Central Jail Mirpurkhas. Likewise, the commission has requested the provincial government to upgrade Dadu district prison to the status of the central jail so that inmates of that district can also be moved to Dadu from Hyderabad.

The SHRC also stressed for early completion of the new prisons for juvenile and women in the premises of central jail Hyderabad. At present, children and women prisoners are living in the old prisons.