Pravesh Sharma, the chairman of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission (FHRADC), emphasized the importance of recognizing the human rights of prisoners during an interview with The Fiji Times’ online platform, The Lens@177. He highlighted that while individuals may be incarcerated for criminal offenses following legal proceedings, they still retain their humanity and rights.
Sharma noted that this year alone, the commission has conducted 15 inspections of prison facilities to evaluate their conditions. “Prisoners are in jail for a reason,” he acknowledged, but he insisted that they should not be deprived of basic human rights and must be provided with adequate facilities during their incarceration.
Recently, the FHRADC reached a memorandum of understanding with the Fiji Corrections Services, giving the commission the authority to perform unannounced inspections of correctional facilities. This approach, Sharma explained, is crucial as it allows them to gain an accurate picture of the conditions within these institutions. “If you announce your visit, the facilities might seem much better than they are in reality,” he added.
The commitment from the FHRADC to ensure the rights of prisoners is a significant step towards a more humane approach to incarceration. By advocating for the conditions of these individuals, the commission not only highlights their inherent rights but also encourages a broader dialogue about rehabilitation and reform within the justice system.
This perspective could lead to improvements in prison conditions, which can ultimately benefit society by facilitating the reintegration of rehabilitated individuals back into the community.
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