Rule 35 of the Standard Minimum Rules provides:
(1) Every prisoner on admission shall be provided with
written information about the regulations governing the
treatment of prisoners of his category, the disciplinary requirements of the institution, the authorized methods of
seeking information and making complaints, and all such
other matters as are necessary to enable him to understand
both his rights and his obligations and to adapt himself to the
life of the institution.
(2) If a prisoner is illiterate, the aforesaid information
shall be conveyed to him orally.
This requirement is confirmed in principle 13 of the Body of Principles for the
Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment.
Subsequent principles include the following provisions:
Promptly after arrest and after each transfer from one
place of detention or imprisonment to another, a detained or
imprisoned person shall be entitled to notify or to require the
competent authority to notify members of his family or other
appropriate persons of his choice of his arrest, detention or
imprisonment or of the transfer and of the place where he is
kept in custody. [principle 16, para. 1]
If a detained or imprisoned person is a foreigner, he
shall also be promptly informed of his right to communicate
by appropriate means with a consular post or the diplomatic
mission of the State of which he is a national or which is otherwise entitled to receive such communication in accordance
with international law or with the representative of the competent international organization, if he is a refugee or is otherwise under the protection of an intergovernmental organization. [principle 16, para. 2]
If a detained or imprisoned person is a juvenile or is incapable of understanding his entitlement, the competent authority shall on its own initiative undertake the notification
referred to in the present principle. Special attention shall be
given to notifying parents or guardians. [principle 16, para. 3]
A detained or imprisoned person shall be entitled to
communicate and consult with his legal counsel. [principle 18,
para. 1]
A proper medical examination shall be offered to a detained or imprisoned person as promptly as possible after his
admission to the place of detention or imprisonment, and
thereafter medical care and treatment shall be provided
whenever necessary. This care and treatment shall be provided free of charge. [principle 24]
The guarantee provided in principle 16, paragraph 2, of the Body of Principles was
also incorporated in the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (art. 36,
para. 1 (b)).
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