E Economic and Social Council - acnudh

E/CN.4/2006/6/Add.2
page 60
condition and need urgent repairs, so prisoners have problems with accessing specialised health
care. In some cases, prison administrations deny inmates access to medical assistance, as
documented by the Russian Ombudsman. Furthermore, the situation in IVSs remains intolerable
in this regard: no medical personnel are based in these establishments; and it depends on the
discretion of the facility’s administration whether to call for first-aid. Arrested persons often
have no access to medical services, especially when they have been beaten by police officers.
The number of deaths in custody point to the negligence of the facilities’ personnel in not
providing prompt medical treatment.
269. The Government informed that generally, the health of inmates in detention is very
different from the rest of the population as there is a higher concentration of socially maladjusted
persons with a tendency to suffer from illnesses. The reform conducted by the Ministry
of Justice has created the conditions for combating illnesses, primarily tuberculosis. The
reduction in the numbers of inmates has created more space to accommodate detainees and has
allowed sanitary-hygienic measures to be taken. The Ministry of Justice treats the fight against
illnesses, such as tuberculosis, HIV and others as a priority, and measures taken to combat them
have led to a reduction by half over the last five years. In detention facilities a reserve of antituberculosis
medicine has been created. Since 2002, a centralized system for the distribution of
medicine against drug-resistant tuberculosis has been put in place. Through the adoption of a
special federal programme, “Preventing and Combating social illnesses,” the Government has
increased the financing of the fight against tuberculosis by the penitentiary system. A
tuberculosis diagnostic service has been established under the penitentiary system, and 20
laboratories with up-to-date equipment have been opened. This network will be extended in the
future. With the help of a World Bank credit, medicine, x-ray and laboratory equipment has been
obtained. Further diagnostic and medical equipment, and medicine will be put at the disposal of
the penitentiary system from 2005 to 2007. The Government has also requested a grant from the
Global Fund for a project on fighting tuberculosis and HIV. In accordance with legislation,
persons in penitentiary institutions have access to medical aid provided by state and municipal
health systems. The medical personnel of the penitentiary system receive regular post-diploma
training.
270. Recommendation (j) stated: The United Nations Programme of Advisory Services and
Technical Assistance in respect of the Russian Federation should be intensified in the
following areas:
271. (a) Training of law enforcement, prosecutorial, judicial and penitentiary officials in
international standards in the administration of justice (pre-trial, trial and post-trial
phases), in cooperation, as necessary, with other organizations, such as the International
Committee of the Red Cross and academic institutions;
272. In accordance with information received from NGOs, the level of professionalism of the
personnel has considerably improved in comparison with the last years. In several regions public
organizations take part in training programmes, but there is still no federal programme providing
regular training for penitentiary experts. For this reason unwarranted use of force against inmates
by correctional staff still persists. In some cases, a pattern of beating and abuse has forced
prisoners to resort to hunger strikes and self-mutilation. These forms of protest were reported in
2003 in penitentiary institution YU 323/T-2,Yelets; in February 2004 in IK-4, the village of
Fornosovo; and in May to June 2005 in prison colony OX -30/3, Lgov. The most effective way