Geneva Switzerland 06. 03. 2013: The 22nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council currently underway in Geneva Switzerland is being participated by Member’s States of the UN, Expert Member’s High Level Dignitaries and Civil Society Representatives from all around the world.
Permanent Representative to the UN , Dino D. G. Dympep, while debating in the session today during the presentation of the Report of the Special Rapporteur, Prof. Juan E. Méndez, on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment he stated that “around the world, hundreds of thousands of people identified as drug users are detained without due process in so called “treatment” or “rehabilitation centers” where they are denied evidence-based drug dependence treatment and face serious abuse- including physical and sexual violence and forced labor”.
“While many of the international health and drug-control agencies including the UN office of Drugs and Crime have made numerous calls to close the centers, but these calls are routinely ignored. In some cases, International donors- including UN agencies calling for closure of the centers- continue to provide funding and other support to drug detention centers, support which risks legitimizing or even facilitating the abuses insides” stated Dympep.
Calling for closing compulsory drug detentions centers without delay I strongly call on all states- including international donors –and UN agencies:
To adopt clear policy guidance rooted in international human rights standards for financial, technical and other assistance for drug enforcement, drug demand or related project such as HIV focused programming in recipient states;
To review all funding, programming and activities directed to assisting drug detention centers to ensure that no funding is supporting policies or programs that violate international human rights laws; and
To take immediate action on any problems identified, including freezing support where governments refuse to put an end to abuses.
To transparently report the numbers of individuals in detention centers, the number of detention centers, and the average length of individuals are detained, and
To undertake prompt, independent, and thorough investigations of torture, ill-treatment and other human rights abuses in the centers, and to follow up with appropriate legal action- including criminal prosecution – for perpetrators.(SP News)
