11.2. Detainees in the penitentiary system
detainees. It is generally considered that loud and inappropriate speech, cursing, wearing blatantly scant attire or being naked in a place designated for the
practice of one’s religion may be offensive. The Institution caused an anomaly
related to the rights to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion by letting
the staff search the bodies, private parts, and certain body cavities of naked
detainees in a place designated for the practice of religion (in the chapel). In
my report, I suggested that, in the future, guards should check the detainees’
clothing, body and body cavities somewhere else, not in the chapel.
11.3.
Police detention
The Holding Facility of the National Bureau of Investigation of the Emergency
Response Team of the National Police Headquarters
According to Section 39/B, Subsection (3) of the Ombudsman Act, the National
Preventive Mechanism “may enter without any restriction the places of detention and other premises of the authority under inquiry.” The written agreement between the National Preventive Mechanism and the National Police
Headquarters notwithstanding, the visiting delegation could enter the Holding Facility of the National Bureau of Investigation of the Emergency Response
Team of the National Police Headquarters (hereinafter the “Holding Facility of
the NBI NPHQ”) only 30 minutes after presenting the letter of authorization
and their ID cards. The delayed compliance with the statutory obligation to
cooperate and the inadequate preparedness of the institution’s staff hindered
the performance of the tasks of the National Preventive Mechanism.
At the time of the visit, the 15 cells of the Holding Facility of the NBI NPHQ
could accommodate 36 persons. There were nine male detainees, including
three Syrian nationals, held there at the time of the visit. Among them, five
were in criminal and four in pre-trial detention. There were no juveniles
among the detainees. There
were no new arrivals during
the visit. Information material
on the detainees’ rights and
obligations and the rules of
their detention were available,
in addition to Hungarian, in
17 languages. Every detainee
gets a copy upon reception.
A cell in the Holding Facility
of the NBI NPHQ
83
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents