Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla has stated that he will find solutions to the problems faced by the detainees.
Speaking at the oath taking ceremony of newly graduated prison officers, who completed the 25th basic training program, Minister Imran stated that the difficulties faced by detainees is a national issue which needs to be addressed. He stated that the aim of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's administration is to clear the muddy image of prisons that had been engraved in the hearts of Maldivians.
Stating that he accepted the position of Minister of Home Affairs, well aware of the condition of prisons, Minister Imran highlighted that the administration has since worked to reform them. As such, he said that the current administration has done more work in reforming the prisons than any previous administrations.
Minister Imran said that the audit report, which was conducted during the earlier days of the administration has helped in improving the Correctional Service. He added that Correctional Service is working on bringing more positive changes to the services they provide.
Additionally, he stated that the special committee is keeping a close eye on the condition of prisons and making sure that work is being done to further improve the condition of prisons.
Moreover, Minister Imran highlighted that only few of the buildings established at prisons had been built solely for that purpose. He stated that many of the prisons currently established in the Maldives had been used for other purposes previously, and this is the reason these facilities are low quality and not conform to the required standard in the protection of basic human rights and dignity.
Minister Imran assured that the administration is working on making the necessary arrangements to conform the basic rights of detainees and that the conditions of prisons will be further improved before the end of this Presidential term.