The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in over 15 cases ruled that the detention conditions at Penitentiary No. 13 in Chisinau are poor, especially owing to crowdedness, insanitary conditions and low quality of food. The information was presented by the Legal Resources Center within a communication that reminds of the ombudsman’s remarks about the disastrous conditions at Penitentiary No. 13, IPN reports.

The communication says that in the Ciorap group of cases, which includes 14 decisions, the ECHR ascertained a number of basic problems related to the detention conditions at Penitentiary No. 13. Among these are the extreme crowdedness, insanitary hygiene, parasitic insects, lack of beds, presence of rats, lack of appropriate ventilation and access to daylight. It also ruled that the food in this jail was insufficient and of a poor quality.

The ECHR held that the legislation of Moldova does not allow the courts of law or any other administrative body that examines a complaint to order to immediately improve the detention conditions of a person, with this improvement depending on the allocation of resources from the state budget.

The communication was sent to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which monitors the implementation of the ECHR decisions by the member states.

The Legal Resources Center requested the Moldovan authorities, before a new penitentiary is erected in Chisinau instead of Penitentiary No. 13, to take measures to reduce crowdedness at this prison, to substantially increase the funds allocated for feeding detainees, and to institute an efficient reparatory and compensatory internal remedy for detention in poor conditions.