The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) has accused the Hong Kong government of failing to improve conditions of police cells, breaching a United Nations convention against torture and punishment.
The comments come one month after the UN’s Committee Against Torture published a list of issues involving degrading or humiliating treatment of people in police custody, reports HKFP.
Referring to the UN list as “exam questions”, SoCo stated that they had received 39 complaints from detainees over the last three months, suggesting the government would most likely fail “the exam”.
Among the complaints submitted to SoCo include detainees being forced to sleep in cells with no air-con, heating or windows, not being allowed to shower or wash their hands, and having requests for medical treatment denied.
SoCo released a statement saying that prison conditions in Hong Kong are below international standards, and infringe on human rights.
The statement was accompanied by “exam tips” written by the NGO on how Hong Kong prisons can improve cell conditions.
Monitoring prison cell conditions in Hong Kong is task taken up by SoCo and other NGOs. Law Yuk-kai, director of the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, has called for an independent inspectorate to monitor the situation.
The government is expected to submit a written report and appear at an oral hearing in Geneva at the end of this year to update the UN on the measures they have taken to address human rights grievances in the city.
Photo: VictoriaOP via Wikipedia Commons
