A/HRC/46/26/Add.1 space in the centre for prisoners to be outdoors and as a result, inmates were confined in their cells all day long. There was one holding cell for newly arrived male arrestees awaiting processing, but no separate cell for newly arrived female arrestees. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur witnessed one female arrestee being left to sleep on the floor outside the interrogation room. The custodial centre did not have a resident doctor or nurse to attend to emergency cases. 61. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur understood from interviews with detainees and staff that on any given night, the holding cells would be filled with an average of 20 arrestees who were held overnight and, after initial questioning, would be transferred further or released the following morning. Cells were often infested with insects and/or rats, poorly ventilated and poorly lit, with improvised electrical installations hanging from ceilings and walls. Many cells had no artificial light at all, and often access to toilets was limited, particularly during the night. In many cells, water taps and even toilets were blocked, with no access to hot water and no supply of basic hygiene products. 62. Malé prison was severely overcrowded, with inmates in very tight quarters with no access to sunlight or fresh air during their entire detention. In most cells, inmates slept on the floor on thin mats. In the bigger cells, some inmates had beds or mattresses. All cells shared only one open sanitary area which inmates covered with a mat to prevent water splashing onto the floor where they slept; most often the mats had mould growing on them. The “good conduct” inmates housed on the top floor benefited from the opportunity to work within the facility, and access to a common corridor in front of the cells during the day. There was markedly less stress and tension among those detainees. The prison management indicated that the same transformation was foreseen for the first and second floors, where inmates were locked up day and night. 63. The sanitary and hygiene conditions were very unsatisfactory in Malé prison. The Special Rapporteur observed that during the cleaning of the cells, the detainees had to clear the excess water left using their own plates. The area outside their cells was littered with food leftovers and had stagnant water; cleaning was done once a day. The inmates complained about the lack of access to fresh air and of structural maintenance, for example, to remedy exposed electrical wiring in sockets. 64. Maafushi prison held both female and male detainees. Overall, the conditions of detention in the female units were generally acceptable, except with regard to overcrowding; each cell housed up to five inmates and had only three beds, thus forcing two inmates to sleep on the floor on mattresses. The sanitary and hygiene conditions observed in the facility were adequate. The detainees had access to the corridor in front of their cells throughout the day and were able to access the yard for one hour per day. The ventilation in the cells was very limited, with two small low-hanging windows, despite the availability of two small fans. Many women complained about inhaling smoke from the burning of waste on the island. 65. In the high-security wings holding male detainees, five to six prisoners were held in small cells with only two beds, many without mattresses. In the other wings, 16 male prisoners were held in dormitories equipped with 10 beds. There was a lack of natural light, sleeping and sanitary facilities, as well as insufficient access to fresh air. Prisoners were reportedly allowed out to exercise for only one hour once or twice a month. 66. The major concerns prisoners expressed were the insufficient quantity and poor quality of the food and the water they received, the very poor ventilation, the lack of hygiene and sanitary conditions in the cells and attached toilets, and the poor lighting. The prisoners on death row also complained that the electricity in their cell was on 24 hours a day, which disturbed their sleep. 67. Asseyri prison, in contrast with other prisons, provided inmates with wide-open spaces, which they used for recreational and vocational activities such as carpentry, tailoring, electrical and agricultural programmes. The inmates were housed in five wings divided up into four sections each, and equipped with 16 toilets. However, a significant number of shower and toilet facilities were reportedly either not functioning or not in use. 10