minivanSpeaking to Minivan News today, one prisoner said the jail was “under inmates’ control” after ESG and riot police had been forced outside.
“Yesterday, the SOD (riot police) beat us and took everything, even our toothbrushes and put ten of us to a cell in unit two,” he alleged.
Mattreses in unit two have been set alight, he said.He further alleged two inmates sustained serious injuries to their heads while a third had his hand broken. He added police “beat” prisoners with batons even after the situation was brought under control.
The inmate said that after the clash, prisoners were stripped of all their belongings except their clothes and packed into cells of ten as the locks and bars of most cells were broken.
Both police and the DPRS have denied the allegations. Rasheed told Minivan News today that inmates had a tendency to “cook up stories”.
He said five prisoners and five prison officers all sustained minor injuries and were currently receiving medical assistance in the jail.
Police Sergeant Ahmed Shiyam said five police officers also received minor injuries.
Rasheed said inmates would now have some of their privileges, such as conjugal visits, suspended. He added the jail required more staff and funding to tighten up security in order to be able to control inmates.
“It takes not even five minutes to damage and destruct but to repair, we need time and money,” he said.
Riot police were deployed to Maafushi Jail yesterday to provide support to the ESG after inmates in unit two demolished walls and destroyed cells using metal bars.
Rasheed said the police have been asked to stay at the jail for several days.
Earlier this year, inmates smashed up several wings in the jail before setting them alight. The health centre, industrial workshop were completely destroyed while a desalination plant and classrooms were thoroughly damaged.
The riots followed a report from the Human Rights Commission Maldives (HRCM) which recommended immediate action to stop drug use and abuse in the prison, the removal of all communication devices, categorisation of prisoners and an overhaul of prison regulations.
Ahmed Irfan from Maldivian Detainee Network (MDN) said the NGO was “extremely concerned” about the frequency and severity of incidents at Maafushi Jail.
“These incidents are a threat to the safety and security of both prison officials and inmates,” he said.
Irfan further pointed to recent reports from both the MDN and the Human Rights Commission Maldives, which underscored structural problems such as overcrowding, a lack of resources for prison officials and a lack of rehabilitative mechanism.
“We call upon the relevant authorities to address these issues as a matter of the greatest urgency,” he said.
DPRS Director Mohamed Rasheed said requests for reinforcements from police have been made. “It’s very important for police to go there as soon as possible...as those who are not involved will also be hurt,” he said.
Referring to yesterday’s confrontation, the inmate alleged the ESG charged unit two firing tear gas at prisoners.
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