Pakistani court asks government to release petty criminals to prevent COVID-19 spread

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Friday directed the government to release prisoners involved in minor crimes to stem the spread of coronavirus as the country has recorded over 400 confirmed COVID-19 cases with three deaths.
In 113 operational jails of the country, more than 75,000 prisoners are kept against the capacity of around 60,000 inmates. The official data shows only 25,990 prisoners are convicted out of the total in different crimes while around 46,000 are still under trial.
“If a prisoner contracts coronavirus [in the jail], it will be difficult to control the situation,” Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah remarked while hearing a petition regarding the release of 1,362 under trial prisoners.
The court has directed the Islamabad district administration to look into the matter and release all under trial prisoners on bail from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Pakistani prisons are overcrowded and pose various health risks. Hundreds of inmates in different jails are said to be suffering from different diseases including HIV, hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis. Under the circumstances, many fear that prisoners are also at risk of contracting and spreading the deadly coronavirus.
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat informed the court that no prisoner was infected with the virus so far, though he also added that the authorities would comply with the court order and release the inmates involved in petty crimes.
The district administration has constituted a two-member committee in the wake of the court order to release these criminals. The jurisdiction of the Islamabad High Court extends to the federal capital only, making it suggest to the provincial administrations to avoid “unnecessary arrests” and release petty criminals through executive order.
Currently, there are 5,001 prisoners in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail against the capacity of 2,174 inmates. Among them, trials of 1,362 detainees are pending before various courts in the federal capital.
Human rights activists and organizations working for the well-being of prisoners have applauded the verdict and urged the provincial governments to follow suit.
“It is a wonderful initiative by the high court to consider releasing under trial prisoners facing petty charges,” Ali Haider Habib, spokesperson for the Justice Project Pakistan, a non-profit organization based in Lahore that works for vulnerable prisoners, told Arab News.
He lauded the government and the judiciary for “safeguarding and protecting prisoners, prison staff and their families in this difficult time.”