New Zealand’s pride in its progressive human rights record is belied by how it treats its people in prisons, say advocates after last week’s standoff
When images appeared last week of 16 prisoners standing on the smoking roof of Waikeria Prison’s high-security unit, justice advocate Julia Whaipooti was not surprised.
The prisoners had been involved in a six-day standoff with guards that started as complaints over alleged inhumane conditions. They had created make-shift weapons and started several fires, setting mattresses alight. They lounged in collapsible chairs while guards waited below, clad in riot gear. By the end of the standoff, much of the prison’s top level was burned out, the roof partially collapsed.
Continue reading...source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/08/forms-of-structural-violence-waikeria-highlights-injustice-of-new-zealands-prisons
