delegation was informed of the guarantees offered to the inmates to enable them to communicate with
the outside world through availing of visits and making telephone calls, or written correspondence
and the filing of complaints.
31. The delegation of the National Institution was keen to emphasize the importance of limiting and
avoiding resorting to solitary confinement of women based on the General Comment Number
(20/44/) on Article Number (7) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the
absolute prohibition of mistreatment and use of means of restricting freedom, and also the use of
force in any case whatsoever.
32. At a related level the delegation was informed of the Articles of Association of the Centre and all
the instructions and details of rights and obligations which the Centre guarantees upon registering
the inmates, while taking cognizance of all the rehabilitative and awareness effort undertaken by
those responsible at the Centre to guarantees that the female inmates enjoy their rights with a view
to reintegrate them to become an effective element in society in a manner achieving the vision and
aim for which their freedom was restricted while affording them the necessary protection..
33. The delegation of the National Institution, during the unannounced visit to the Centre, met (28)
female inmates and provisional detainees- based on their request- and it also toured unaccompanied
by any of the Centre personnel, where their complaints and requests were recorded and their needs
were investigated, as a prelude to adopting the suitable decisions regarding them by coordination
with the administration of the Centre, and thereafter they were individually met at an independent
place without the supervision of the administration and personnel of the Centre.
34 Perhaps most prominent among those interviewed by the delegation of the National Institution
was one of the female activists in the field of human rights, who is accused in a criminal case
presently being heard by the courts for purposes of ascertaining her personal conditions and her
health and psychological state and the extent of being able to communicate with the outside world
and her availing of guarantees for a fair trial, where previously the relatives of the accused filed a
complaint with the National Institution requesting intervention and assistance to allow them and
their relatives to extend the time of legal visitation at the Reform and Rehabilitation Centres, and
to allow them to bring in some of the personal requisites of the detainee, and they also requested
following up and guaranteeing the fair trial of the detainee. The detainee confirmed the veracity of
the demands aforementioned and submitted by her relatives, adding that she requests assistance to
meet her attorney.
35. The delegation of the National Institution emphasized to the accused the prior approval of the
public prosecution of her demand for a meeting submitted by her attorney, and that the National
Institution has knowledge of the approval issued by the public prosecution of the request for
meeting the attorney through following up almost on a daily basis of her investigation file with the
public prosecution.
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