Over 7,700 persons serve time in Moldova’s jails at a time when the capacity of the penitentiary system is of 6,300 persons. Thus, the penitentiary system cannot guarantee for everyone the required minimum of 4 square meters. The situation in remand prisons is not better. The information was presented in public hearings held by the Parliament’s commission on human rights and interethnic relations on November 22, IPN reports.

Secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice Anatolie Munteanu spoke about a judgment passed by the European Court of Human Rights, which says that the detention conditions in Penitentiary No. 13 are a systemic problem of the Republic of Moldova. As regards the building of a new penitentiary, the authorities are to obtain the urbanism certificate. The schedule presented by the designing company shows that a tender contest will be announced next summer to choose the contractor that will erect the penitentiary. This will have a capacity of 1,536 places. The construction works will be finished in 2021.

Anatolie Munteanu also said that three prisons are being renovated. These are Penitentiary No.11 of Balti, Penitentiary No. 3 of Leova and Penitentiary No. 10 for minors of Goian. The reconstruction works are to be completed next year.

In the hearings, secretary of state at the Ministry of the Interior Dorin Purice said that the Government recently approved the plan of action (for 2017-2020) for reducing the inhuman treatment, abuses and discrimination against persons in police custody. The document stipulates measures to improve the detention conditions and infrastructure of remand prisons of the police and the process of transporting persons in remand detention. There will be renovated 15 regional remand prisons and about 100 cells and purchased 15 units of transport. Currently, 50% of the existing cells do not meet the minimum requirements.