Ireland does not have specialized immigraiotn detention centres, instead using prisons and jails to detain people for immigration reasons. In Irish prisons, the prison administration announced on 13 March 2020 restrictions regarding visits. Visits are only allowed for 15 minutes, once a week and per prisoner. Visitors under the age of 18 and those that […]
Detention Blog
United Arab Emirates: Covid-19 and Detention
UAE authorities provide little information regarding where non-citizens are detained for immigration-related reasons. Some sources indicate that the country has operated at least one dedicated deportation facility, but detainees are also known to have been held in criminal prisons. Authorities announced on 23 March 2020 that all inbound, outbound, and transit flights would be suspended […]
Poland: Covid-19 and Detention
On 23 March 2020, the Ministry of Justice announced plans to extend a programme under which some prisoners are allowed to serve their sentence at home to help curb the spread of coronavirus. The proposal could benefit up to 12,000 prisoners and they would be kept under electronic supervision. The GDP has been unable to […]
Qatar: Covid-19 and Detention
Riots have broken out in Qatar’s prisons. In the central prison in Doha, prisoners attacked a guard and burnt several cells. It has also been reported that the administration is refusing to release prisoners even though Covid-19 is spreading within its penal institutions. Rioters are being placed in isolation, without water, food or cigarettes. Some […]
Honduras: Covid-19 and Detention
In mid-March, the Honduran government declared a state of “health emergency” and suspended all visits to prisons following reports of two confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country. In addition, staff and detainees must wear masks in Court. The GDP has been unable to obtain information concerning measures taken within the “Centros de Atención al […]
Romania: Covid-19 Measures in Prisons
In Romanian prisons, measures such as the curtailment of visitation hours have been taken to minimise the risk of Covid-19 spread. However, on 18 March 2020, a riot broke out at the Satu Mare prison, leaving three inmates dead and two others seriously injured. The GDP has been unable to find any reports indicating that […]
Immigration detention In Ireland (from report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2019 visit to Ireland)
Immigration detention (Read full CPT report) 24. In the course of its previous visits to Ireland, the CPT has reiterated that a prison is bydefinition not a suitable place in which to detain someone who is neither suspected nor convicted ofa criminal offence. In those cases where it is deemed necessary to deprive persons of […]
Border Police establishments & Immigration detention facilities from report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2014 visit to Bulgaria)
A. Border Police establishments; (Read full CPT report)7. Under the Law on Aliens in the Republic of Bulgaria (LARB), foreign nationals may be detained by the Border Police, on their own authority, for up to 24 hours. If it is needed to prolong the period of detention beyond the 24 hours, the foreign national must […]
Cas particulier des personnes non admises à la frontière franco-italienne (from the report of the European Committee for thr Prevention of Torture 2018 visit to France)
Cas particulier des personnes non admises à la frontière franco-italienne (Read full CPT report) 94. Afin de comprendre la situation des personnes déclarées non-admises sur le territoirefrançais à la frontière franco-italienne, la délégation s’est rendue à Menton. Elle a d’abord observéle déroulement de plusieurs interpellations effectuées en gare de Menton-Garavan avant de serendre au poste-frontière […]
Karreç Detention Centre for Foreigners (from report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture 2018 visit to Albania)
B. Karreç Detention Centre for Foreigners; (Read full CPT report)31. For the first time, the delegation visited the country’s sole detention centre for foreigners inKarreç. The Centre is located in the vicinity of Durres and was opened in 2010. With an officialcapacity of 125 places, it comprised three detention units (Nos. 1 and 3 for […]
