UN committee report slams Australia’s ‘inhuman’ prisons

Australia’s prison and detention practices are inhuman, degrading and in some cases may amount to torture, a United Nations report has found.

The UN has delivered a scathing assessment of Australia’s treatment of prisoners, immigration detainees and juvenile offenders, despite attempts to block inspectors from local facilities.

Public Interest Advocacy Centre principal solicitor Jonathan Hall Spence said the report noted a “troubling” use of disproportionate force.

“Australia presents itself as a good global citizen, but this report shows we are failing to meet basic obligations to protect the human rights of people in prisons, youth detention and immigration detention,” he said.

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