A court has sentenced the state to pay 300 euros per day to 21 inmates. The inmates, detained in the prisons in Lantin, Huy and Paifve, were successful on Wednesday's trial court.
According to the complaining inmates, they haven’t received any minimum service since the strike by prison guards started on 25 April.
Their lawyers explained to the court that family visits are now prevented, there is no regular access to showers and it has become impossible to purchase hygiene products and other basic necessities.
Furthermore, the distribution of food has also become random, activities are eliminated or reduced, it’s impossible to make phone calls and contacts with lawyers are scarce.
The court ruling was to the benefit of the inmates and sentenced the state to pay penalty of 300 euros per day to each complainant if the government does not guarantee the service inmates are entitled to.
The prison service must distribute 3 meals a day (whereof one hot meal), allow a daily walk for at least one hour, and enable daily phone access, at least three family visits per week for convicted inmates and one visit per day for inmates under arrest, normal access to showers, and finally visits by lawyers and the supervisory commission.
The Brussels Times (Source: Belga)
