A/HRC/16/52/Add.5
punch and stab Mr. Lakari, resulting in a severe injury on his left hand and broken teeth.
The police officers reportedly observed the ill-treatment, but did not intervene until a very
late stage. Eventually, Mr. Lakari was put into the police car and transferred to the police
station. His request to receive medical treatment was denied both during the 14 weeks he
stayed at the police station in Mount Hagen, and at Baisu Correctional Facility. He
indicated that mobile phone vouchers worth 200 kina and 35 kina in cash had been taken
from him upon arrest, and were not given back. Mr. Lakari reported that only a few days
prior to the visit of the Special Rapporteur, a guard had thrown a stone at his head. At the
moment of the interview, Mr. Lakari had a suppurating stab wound on his hand, which was
strongly deformed and almost completely paralyzed.
Convict section
“Eddie Murphy”, aged 18, from Tari. On 25 February 2010 he was picked up from the
Hagen bus stop by a female prosecutorial officer and four police officers in civilian clothes.
They beat him and kicked him in the back as they interrogated him in front at the bus stop,
and then took him to the police station, where the beatings continued at the cell gate. The
police was accompanied by the complainant, and he also joined in the kicking and
punching. He remained in the police cell for two weeks, on remand in prison for a month,
and five months in prison since his conviction.
So Mel, aged 40, from Mt. Hagen, had had a stomach ulcer for five years. The week before
the visit, he was taken to the hospital for blood tests. He was supposed to go back to get the
results but the warden had not let him. Medicines had to be provided by their relatives.
J.N., aged 18. Between one and two weeks before the visit, a police officer kicked him in
the back upon arrest at a bus stop. He was still in pain. After that, the police locked him in a
cell for 12 days, after which he went to court and was taken to Baisu. He had never been to
court before, and was sentenced to eight months without any time to explain his story. He
had no lawyer. If a prisoner was convicted to over one year, they were placed in the highsecurity section. The prison officers brought in drugs, pliers to help them escape and mobile
phones. Then they beat inmates for being in possession of them.
Female Section
On the day of the visit, 46 women were detained in the female section (27 convicts and 19
remandees). There were also six babies, who could stay with their mothers until the age of
three. Women who gave birth could stay at the hospital for one day before being taken back
to the prison. They could not do gardening. The remandees had to do the same work as the
convicted detainees, but those with medical problems could stay in the compound. The
women had to work for the female and male officers, including making bilums and
cleaning, but were not paid. They had no power to refuse, and they are verbally abused and
threatened if they did. After the 13 April escape in the male prison, the women were also
punished; they were not allowed visits or spiritual fellowship, even though no women had
taken part in the escape. They could do sports on Fridays. They had bible study
programmes. Women with serious medical problems were taken to Mt. Hagen Hospital. A
woman had recently given birth in jail at 3.00 a.m. with the assistance of other detainees.
They received soap and toilet paper once a week, although there was not enough water. All
the officers are female.
Individual cases
A female detainee had been a victim of domestic violence. On 16 May 2010, her husband
hit her as she was cooking. She took a stick and hit him back to try to release herself. He
went to the police and asked them to arrest her. The police told her to get in the car but her
uncle intervened and indicated she had acted in self-defense. The next day, her husband and
58
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents