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Lack of Respect for the Rights of Mentally
Ill Persons in the Prison of Krujė
Tirana, March 6,
2006
In the context of a
round of monitoring missions undertaken by the Albanian Helsinki Committee, a
group of AHC experts conducted an observation at the Krujė Institution for the
Execution of Penal Decision, on February 28, 2006. The purpose of the
observation was to look at respect for the rights of persons serving their
sentences in this institution, and particularly convicts who are ill.
In the course of the
observation, it resulted that medicaments for convicts were entirely missing in
the Krujė prison. A total of 52 mentally ill convicts are kept in this
institution. Every medicament for the treatment of these mentally ill convicts
was missing. Furthermore, the absence of a specialist psychiatric doctor was
noticed.
It is worth mentioning
that the above situation is in contravention of law no. 8328, dated 16.4.1998
“On the rights and treatment of persons sentenced to imprisonment," which in
article 26 on "Health Service" provides for "Health service should ensure the
supply of medicaments and medial materials."
Furthermore, the
treatment of mentally ill convicts in this institution is in contravention of
article 22, item 1 of the United Nations Document "Entirety of Standard Minimum
Rules for Treatment of Prisoners," which sanctions that "At every institution
there shall be available the services of at least one qualified medical officer
who should have some knowledge of psychiatry" and article 82, item 2 and 3 that
says “Prisoners who suffer from other mental diseases or abnormalities shall be
observed and treated in specialized institutions under medical management.
During their stay in a prison, such prisoners shall be placed under the special
supervision of a medical officer.
AHC suggests to the
Ministry of Justice, in conformity with the law, its duties and competence, to
treat the problem in question seriously and to undertake immediate measures to
ensure medicaments for the ill in the Krujė prison, and especially the mentally
ill and those who are stationary paralyzed convicts.
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