Another suicide in Dubrava Prison, KMDLNj has a request for Government

The Council for Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms has announced that they were informed last night that in Dubrava Prison, Prisoner V. H born in 31.08,1991, in Mitrovica has committed suicide by hanging herself.

KMDLNI expresses deep concern over the tragic loss of the prisoner's life and seeks investigation into the causes of suicide. According to KMDLNj, those deprived of freedom are under state care and protection, so for KMDLNI, this suicide is of great concern, as well as previous suicides.

KMDLNj says that many times it has required that health institutions be built within the Kosovo Correcting Service, engage professionals in areas needed for treatment of persons deprived of freedom so that there is no need for sending prisoners out of prison for treatment.

Kosovo's “Government must seriously address this, share additional tools for the issue. If this does not happen then, as in this case, but in other cases we will deal with reactions while the lives of persons deprived of freedom are being transformed into numbers or statistics”, the response is said.

KMDLNY response:

Last night at 10:59h, KMDLNj has been informed that prisoner V. H born in 31.08,1991, in Mitrovica has committed suicide by hanging herself.

The deceased had been admitted to Dubrava Prison in 23,01,2017. According to medical reports of the V Prisons Health Service. H had health problems and has been constantly addressed, both within Dubrava Prison and at the Fornic Institute of Psychiatry in Kosovo. At Dubrava Prison, there were regular visits to the psychiatrist and psychologist, while the Institute of Forenzie Psychiatry has remained during July 2019, and the final visit to the Institute was in 2309.20. The last visit to the prison psychiatrist was in 09,09,20. In fact, the late V. The H during the search specified that he was calm, not complaining, denied that he intended to hurt himself, and was recommended to continue therapy described by the prison psychiatrist.

KMDLNI expresses deep concern over the tragic loss of the prisoner's life and seeks investigation into the causes of suicide. The right to life is basic human right, and all other rights are realized on this right. People deprived of freedom are under state care and protection, so for KMDLNI, this suicide is a major concern, as well as previous suicides.

The pandemic situation created by COVID-19 is having a big impact on inmates, on their treatment, on the realisation of rights that LESP guarantees, and especially on quality health protection. Despite the involvement of the Prison Health Service, this Service does not have enough professional and material capacity to treat serious cases like those with a theatre diagnosis or mental nature disease as if it were the case of self-traction V. H.

Pandemia, except that it has isolated the prisoners within the supporting institutions, on the other hand, has made it difficult to send them to health institutions outside the prisons and in some cases it has failed.

For this reason KMDLNj has many times demanded that health institutions be built within the Kosovo Correcting Service, engage professionals in areas needed for treatment of persons deprived of freedom so that there is no need to send prisoners out of prison for treatment. Kosovo's government should seriously address this, allocate additional means for the issue. If this does not happen then, as in this case, but in other cases we will deal with reactions as the lives of those deprived of freedom are transformed into numbers or statistics. In the absence of a preventive strategy against suicide in Kosovo prisons, we are mainly dealing with the consequences.

To KMDLNY has no meaning and no action that reasons keeping prisoners with mental health disorders in prison rather than being sent to a proper health institution. And this represents serious human rights violations.