In a statement, the canton of Zurich fully rejects allegations made by the UN special rapporteur on torture in the case of Brian (25), formerly known as “Carlos”. The prisoner’s aggressive and uncooperative behavior leaves the authorities with no choice but to lock him up under very restrictive conditions – in full compliance with the law.
The accusations made by the UN special rapporteur on torture, the Swiss lawyer Nils Melzer, in the Brian case are “unacceptable” and “strange” for the responsible authorities in the canton of Zurich, according to a statement published on Monday by the Office for the Prison and Reintegration Office Canton of Zurich (JuWe).
This is what Brian’s defender says: “Solitary confinement violates the torture commission”(02:21)
Allegation of solitary confinement
In June, Melzer wrote to the Swiss Foreign Minister, Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis (FDP), to submit an opinion on Brian’s detention conditions. The reply mainly consists of the statement from the Canton of Zurich.
The UN special rapporteur alleged, among other things, that Brian’s conditions of detention were tantamount to a prohibited form of solitary confinement. According to the statement of the Canton of Zurich, the solitary confinement used by him is in accordance with the law and not in any way comparable to the solitary confinement, which is unknown in the Swiss legal system, in which prisoners are completely isolated from a sensory and social point of view. (SDA)