Human rights commission in Babil raises concerns over detention centers

BABIL — The Human Rights Commission in Babil raised concerns on Saturday about the condition of detention centers in the governorate, noting the infrastructure’s inadequacy in facilities housing convicted juveniles. The commission also pointed out the severe overcrowding in Baghdad’s prisons, with over 700 children sentenced last year, and called for the rehabilitation of these facilities to ease the congestion.

Ahmed Al-Attar, Director of the Human Rights Commission in Babil, told 964media, “The detention centers in our province are entirely unsuitable for detainees or convicts, primarily lacking in essential infrastructure. These facilities do not have adequate ventilation, waste disposal systems, or beds, particularly those under the Ministry of Interior, which fail to meet the human rights standards for detainees.”

He continued, “Even prisons under the Ministry of Justice, including Hilla Reform Prison and the Women’s Prison in the city center, require significant improvements to uphold prisoners’ rights.”

Al-Attar stressed the importance of enhancing juvenile rehabilitation centers, which are not only under-equipped but also suffer from extreme overcrowding with convicted minors. “Last year alone, more than 700 juveniles were sentenced, all housed in a single facility in Baghdad. There’s an urgent need to establish new rehabilitation centers in Babil and other provinces to alleviate the pressure on Baghdad’s resources,” he explained.