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Key international and regional standards and norms relating to the use of pre-trial detention include: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) (Article 9 and Article 14) Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment (1988) UN Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in […]
Model for Reform
In July 2013, Kazakhstan passed a new law establishing a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). Throughout 2011 and 2012, PRI’s Central Asia office was intensively engaged in negotiations to establish an NPM for Kazakhstan, which would fulfil its obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT). PRI’s advocacy and in particular its engagement […]
Languages: English, Russian
Multimedia
Published in 2005 Available in French 51 Minutes duration Shot in Benin, Kenya and Malawi ‘Freedom Inside These Walls’ provides disturbing footage of prison conditions inside these countries, which are common to many other prisons in Africa. It highlights the challenges in accessing justice faced by poor people in conflict with the law. The film […]
Languages: French
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Current programmes in the Central Asia region include: Breaking the Cycle: a multifaceted approach to combat torture in Kazakhstan With the support of the European Union, PRI joins lead organisation, Taldykorgan Human Rights Centre and partner, the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, to implement an ambitious 3-year project to combat […]
Report
This resource from PRI and the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) is designed to help bodies monitoring places of detention incorporate a gender perspective into their work and to address the problem of violence against women and girls in detention. This guide introduces the UN Bangkok Rules and other relevant sources of international law […]
Languages: Uzbek, Arabic, English, French, Georgian, Russian, Spanish, Tajik
Report
The Paralegal Advisory Service (PAS) was established by PRI and the Malawi Prison Service to allow paralegals into prisons to educate prisoners on the criminal law and assist cases through the system more speedily. The Service is based on three cornerstones: linking up of the criminal justice system by improving communication and co-ordination between the […]
Languages: English
In this expert blog written for PRI, author Alexei Lakhov argues that the meaningful involvement of people with lived experience is essential to creating effective drug and prison policies. There is a fundamental need to move beyond tokenism toward genuine partnership in decision-making, ensuring diverse voices shape agendas and recommendations grounded in lived experience. The […]
Alexei Lakhov15th January 2026
Event
Side event at the 32nd Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Organised by the International Legal Foundation with support of South Africa, United States, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, Penal Reform International, Amnesty International, International Drug Policy Consortium, African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum, […]
Languages: Arabic, English, French, Portuguese
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Women under arrest (Rule 56, Chapter 9) In August 2021, Nigeria’s Federal High Court, in a case relating to raids conducted in April 2019, held that the arrest of the women without cause and the cruel and inhumane treatment they experienced violated their constitutional rights. The Court also issued an injunction restraining the police and […]
Event
Side event to the 31st Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Co-organised by Ghana, Mexico, South Africa, the United States, Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, International Drug Policy Consortium, International Legal Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Penal Reform International, African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum, Community Advice Offices South Africa, Office […]
Languages: English, French, Portuguese