An annual report on England and Wales prisons highlights overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, poor nutrition, and lack of medical access. Gangs control wings, and violence is prevalent. Reforms under the Starmer government aim to avert system collapse but prisoners still face bleak conditions.
Tunisian lawyer and columnist Sonia Dahmani has been sentenced to two years in prison for criticizing prison conditions. This is the latest in a series of convictions against her, linked to media statements and Decree 54, a law human rights groups condemn.
Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been moved from solitary confinement to a shared cell in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. His son claims the process is political, while legal experts anticipate a lengthy trial, with the next court date set for June 30th.
The UN court in The Hague has denied a request to release 84-year-old Ratko Mladić, convicted of genocide and war crimes in Bosnia, despite his terminal condition, citing the high quality of care available at the UN prison hospital.
Pope Leo concluded his four-nation Africa tour in Equatorial Guinea, publicly criticising the country's poor prison conditions and urging leaders to use oil wealth for all citizens. The Pope addressed a Mass of 100,000 people including President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the world's longest-serving president, calling for an end to corruption and greater freedom in the oil-rich nation where more than half live in poverty.
