Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

atifying it. It had also not amended the national law to bring it into line with
international minimum standards.
Prisons and detention issues
At the end of 2010 the prison system was operating at 194% capacity, with more
than two-thirds of all detainees in ‘pre-trial’ detention, detained for months or years
before facing trial. Most detainees endured harsh, basic conditions and limited
recourse to legal aid. In 2010 efforts were made by the government of Pakistan to
segregate vulnerable prisoners by reducing the number of juveniles in detention and
placing women in female-only detention centres. However, a lack of reliable data
makes it difficult to assess the extent to which these efforts have been successful.
The president has also led efforts to improve the conditions for those convicted or
awaiting trial for capital offences. The current government claimed to have released
all “political prisoners” – which numbered in their hundreds during the Musharraf era
– but there is limited objective evidence available to support such statements. There
is no effective national policy towards managing the increasing numbers of
detainees.
In 2010, we worked with senior prison officials in different provinces in Pakistan to
enhance their understanding of international best practice, exposing them to offender
management in the UK, and our ongoing efforts to improve and reform our own
system.
Human rights defenders
Civil society in Pakistan is vibrant and energetic, with thousands of NGOs involved in
advocacy and grass-roots support. However, NGOs can face threats from violent
extremists, bureaucratic hurdles and political pressure. As a result, the NGO
community does exercise a degree of self-censorship. During 2010, we engaged
with the government of Pakistan on behalf of specific NGOs that have faced
particular problems, urging the government to protect the fundamental rights of all
citizens, as laid out in the Pakistani constitution. Through the EU, we raised our
concerns regarding human rights defenders with the government of Pakistan.
248