It’s been 18 years since this resolution has been passed but “the situation inside the Nepali prisons is stark,” says Kiran Panday who has illustrated the conditions of detention in Nepal’s prison in the ongoing photo exhibition at the Nepal Art Council in Babar Mahal.
Most of the prisons in Nepal are from the Rana regime (1846-1951) and renovations or improvements have been rare. Talking to Republica, Chief of United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal), Richard Bennett said, “Prisoners have rights but their prevalent conditions are vulnerable. There is an immediate need of improvement as prisons are overcrowded, the food and health conditions are bad and prison staffs are not professional. Kiran’s photographs illustrate this reality and this exhibition is an opportunity to share with the government the recommendations issued by Prison Reform Suggestion Committee (PRSC), OCHRC and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).”
Photographer Kiran Panday however has a different experience to share, “51 photographs here in display is a work of four days in five prisons. For me, the access to prisons itself was a big opportunity but it posed a major challenge too as I didn’t know how to react. It was very scary in the beginning. One inmate even threatened me stating his political affiliation but he let loose on his stance after it was revealed that I was representing OHCHR and not a photojournalist as conceived. It was also odd to encounter some familiar faces but I found the rest of the inmates friendly and they even insisted to take lunch with them.”
Nepal has 73 prisons spread throughout the country. Even though the official capacity is 5,000 inmates, there are more than 8,800 presently detained in these jails, of which six per cent are women. According to a recent OHCHR report, the overall situation in Nepali prisons has declined, due to the lack of budget allocated to the Department of Prison Management (PMD) and the indifferent attitude towards the problems faced by the inmates and prison personnel. The issues range from management system to medical care, hygiene and other basic items. Bennett says, “The OHCHR wants to create awareness of these conditions of prisons and the inmates amongst stakeholders, authorities, donors and the civil society. We want to support in all possible ways to improve the prison system.”
And for Panday who seemed to have attracted quite a range of critics on the inauguration day, he concludes, “I have tried to portray the stark realities in a wider perspective. I wish I had more time but I am happy with the result.
The exhibition will go on until the 13th of December.
arpan@myrepublica.com
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