In no circumstances may restrictions or disciplinary sanctions amount to torture

We present to your attention a selection of Minimum Standards on freedom from torture and ill-treatment, dedicated to Nelson Mandela International Day, celebrated annually on 18 July.

These minimum standards should be taken into account to promote humane conditions of imprisonment, to raise awareness that prisoners are an integral part of society and to recognize the value of the work of prison staff as a social service of particular importance.

(Adopted by UN General Assembly Resolution 70/175 on December 17, 2015).

«Rule 43:

1. In no circumstances may restrictions or disciplinary sanctions amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The following practices, in particular, shall be prohibited:

1. Indefinite solitary confinement;
2. Prolonged solitary confinement;
3. Placement of a prisoner in a dark or constantly lit cell;
4. Corporal punishment or the reduction of a prisoner’s diet or drinking water;
5. Collective punishment.

 2. Instruments of restraint shall never be applied as a sanction for disciplinary offences.

3. Disciplinary sanctions or restrictive measures shall not include the prohibition of family contact. The means of family contact may only be restricted for a limited time period and as strictly required for the maintenance of security and order.

The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules)