Count them to close...

One of the 517 promises President Obama made during his Presidential campaign was to close the world’s most controversial prison: Guantánamo Bay. It was believed to be an anti-terrorism initiative by George Bush. After being sworn in office, Obama passed the order to close it within a year. Though it is tough to execute it in this manner but nonetheless it’s undoubtedly a welcome step which would gratify UN, EU Court of Justice and several human rights groups. Ironically, Guantánamo Bay is just one of many such brutal and controversial incarcerations which deserved to draw equal attention from the world community but remained unnoticed for long.

La Santé is one of the oldest prisons established in 1687 and is situated in Paris. It was unknown to the world for its brutality and inhuman torture until Dr. Véronique Vasseur, the head surgeon of the prison, revealed the shocking reality from inside. Prisoners often become victims of brutal torture and diseases. Family members of victims are often humiliated. Limited availability of food, clothing and bathing facilities (shower twice a week) caused deadly skin diseases resulting in a shocking 124 suicides in 1999 alone. Despite criticism by UN Human Rights Committee and European Court of Justice, no positive change has been witnessed till date. In the same league the prison of Gulag in North Korea is another deadly prison which houses over 2 lakh detainees. It is unique in itself having its own set of laws and philosophy of ‘guilt by familial association’ or ‘collective responsibility’ where three generations of a family who committed a crime are punished. Hundreds of Koreans of Japanese origin have been imprisoned there on the ground that they dared to openly praise Japan's liberalism and capitalist society. ....Continue