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Shafaq
\nNews- Babil<\/p>\n
A Counter
\nTerrorism Service (CTS) force arrived in Babil from Baghdad on Friday, while
\nsecurity personnel searched the old Al-Hillah Correctional Prison for Men ahead
\nof the transfer of several inmates to facilities outside the province, sources
\ntold Shafaq News.<\/p>\n
Inmates at
\nthe prison staged a protest on August 12 that lasted about an hour before Babil
\nPolice Chief intervened. The government subsequently ordered an investigative
\ncommittee to examine the circumstances surrounding the protest and the inmates\u2019
\ndemands, according to the sources.<\/p>\n
Babil
\nPolice said the deployment of CTS forces and other security units near the
\nprison was part of routine inspections at detention facilities under directives
\nfrom the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile,
\nthe Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights in Babil criticized the handling of
\nthe protest, citing \u201ca lack of experience and judgment in dispersing such
\nincidents.\u201d It also pointed to possible complicity or negligence by some
\nemployees in allowing prohibited items into the prison and said \u201cthe facility
\nlacked equipment and conditions required under Iraq\u2019s inmate rehabilitation
\nlaw.\u201d<\/p>\n
The
\ncommission renewed its call to permanently close Al-Hillah Central Prison and
\ntransfer all inmates to modern correctional facilities operated by the Justice
\nMinistry. The prison, built in the 1930s, \u201cis deteriorating and at risk of
\ncollapse,\u201d while its location amid residential neighbourhoods in central
\nAl-Hillah poses security risks and complicates the use of modern
\ncommunications-jamming systems.<\/p>\n