Minor offenders in Balti share cells with mature prisoners

The management of the penitentiary in the Balti municipality are violating the right of minors with defendant or convict status to stay in special cells, separated from the rest of the prisoners, lawyers in the Centre for Human Rights estimate. They say that, like in other penitentiaries, the prison’s buildings are old, with every prisoner getting in average 2 square meters of floor. The convicts accuse of insufficient ventilation and of parasites’ presence in the cells. They are also complaining about bad food. They say they are not given fresh fruits or vegetables, dairy products, eggs or meat. Not even the 8 prisoners suffering from tuberculosis or the 31 HIV infected ones are offered these food products. Over 430 people are imprisoned at present in the Balti penitentiary.