Prison management responds to Taoufik Bouachrine’s wife

In a clarification in response to the statement issued by the inmate’s wife that her husband “suffers from shoulder pain” and “refuses to go to the outside hospital wearing the prison uniform on the pretext that it carries violation of his dignity”, the DGAPR specified that the person concerned “benefited from several internal examinations, including 26 times at the local prison Ain Borja and 43 at that of El Arjat 2”.

“He also had access to seven analyzes and five dental examinations after which medication adapted to his state of health was prescribed to him”, noted the same source, adding that “the detainee was taken to an outside hospital 11 times, wearing prison uniform and handcuffs. These security measures apply to all boarders without any discrimination,” stressed the DGAPR.

The General Delegation for Prison Administration and Reintegration also affirmed that “it is useless for the wife of the detainee to involve the National Human Rights Council as a constitutional and national institution in this case”, explaining that “this institution will in no way agree to trample on the legal and regulatory provisions governing penitentiary establishments”

“The General Delegation will not fail to apply the provisions relating to the operation of accompanying detainees to external hospitals”, insisted the same source, pointing out that these provisions relate to essential security measures.

The DGAPR added that “three appointments were made at the outside hospital for the detainee in question during the following dates: 23/05/2023, 20/01/2023 and 09/05/2023”, noting that the he concerned “refused to wear prison uniform and handcuffs on the pretext that these two measures are detrimental to his dignity”.

“These provisions do not affect the dignity of the residents of penitentiary establishments and serve only to ensure the operation of their transfer to external hospitals”, continues the DGAPR in its development.

The General Delegation also recalled that the person in question “had undergone a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination which revealed that he did not suffer from any problem with his shoulder and that his state of health requires drug treatment and compliance with prevention instructions”.