North Macedonia prosecutor says inmates, psychiatric patients subjected to degrading treatment

SKOPJE, North Macedonia — A report by the ombudsman in North Macedonia says inmates in the country’s overcrowded prisons and patients at poorly staffed psychiatric hospitals are frequently subjected to inhumane and degrading conditions.

The country's ombudsman, appointed by the parliament, is an independent public prosecutor with the power to investigate public complaints, including alleged human rights violations by state-run institutions.

In the document investigating human rights conditions in 2022, Ombudsman Naser Ziberi reported that indications of severe mistreatment and neglect were found at two of the country’s main psychiatric institutions.

There was no immediate reaction from government officials Tuesday after the report was published late Monday.

“Leather straps for tying up patients, a metal chain with a padlock and a one-meter-long cable” were found at one psychiatric facility, the report said.

At a second facility in the capital Skopje, it cited poor hygiene and living conditions, adding that patients frequently left without being properly discharged.

At Idrizovo Prison, the country’s largest on the outskirts of the capital, the ombudsman’s investigation also found conditions of squalor and severe overcrowding.

“There were cases where two inmates slept in the same bed," Ziberi said, “36 people were found sleeping on the floor. All wings of the prison are overcrowded.” He added that the prison" is also facing a shortage of staff, especially medical professionals.”

His office, Ziberi said, had received multiple reports of prison corruption and bribery despite reluctance by inmates to speak about the issue on the record.

The annual report was compiled after 19 unannounced visits to prisons and psychiatric institutions in three cities in North Macedonia.

Ziberi has urged authorities to take immediate measures to improve conditions, arguing that reforms announced by authorities are often “more declarative than real.”