Head of the Penal Sanctions Directorate Mr Dejan Carević stated today that the Directorate was committed to respecting the human rights of persons deprived of liberty and the full application of international conventions governing the area. “The Directorate has been taking effective measures towards the prevention of torture in prisons, such as control over the enforcement and the protection of the rights of persons deprived of liberty in accordance with the law, informing the convicted persons of their rights and rights protection mechanisms, staff training, regular and special monitoring of the institutes’ operations, and cooperation with human rights protection authorities and organisations”, Mr Carević explained during the tour of the Penal-Correctional Institution in Požarevac (Zabela).
On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, Mr Carević noted that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment commended the Ministry of Justice in his last report for the measures it had taken to improve the prison conditions for convicted persons and detainees in Serbia. He added that a new prison block for 216 convicts had been opened in Zabela in October, and that two more blocks were under construction.
During his tour of Zabela, Mr Carević was also shown the new waiting room for defence counsels, the construction and the furnishing of which had been financed by the Belgrade Bar Association (BBA). Zabela convicts took part in the construction of the waiting room. Joining Mr Carević on the visit to the waiting room were the President of the BBA Mr Jugoslav Tintor and the President of the Serbian Bar Association Mr Viktor Gostiljac.