Shafaq News / The High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on, on Friday, government to take urgent action to protect the health and safety of people in detention and other closed facilities, as part of overall efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

UNHCR's teams in Baghdad and other provinces have reported cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) infection among inmates and security personnel", the commissioner said in a statement received by Shafaq News agency.

The statement added that 67 cases among inmates in Baghdad governorate prisons, while, "15 cases were reported in Basra Central Prison; including 12 cases among inmates, two security personnel and one fatality. Diyala governorate registered 12 cases, including a security officer, as well".

In Nineveh, four inmates tested positive for the virus in the Investigations Section / Directorate of Counter-Terrorism; noting that total number of injuries amounted to 111 cases among, detainee and security personnel, as well as a single case of fatality.

The commission stressed, "based on these indicators, the Commission calls on the Iraqi government to expedite the development of radical solutions to limit the spread of the pandemic inside detention centers and prisons, by finding solutions to address their conditions or expanding the circle of inclusion in alternative sanctions or a special pardon issued earlier that included almost 1000 inmates from 64,000".

He concluded, "The Commission emphasized the need of applying the precautionary measures required to prevent coronavirus spread and imposing an effective control system to ensure the application of these measures, by the ministry of Justice and the ministry of Interior".