Persons taken into custody will undergo mandatory medical check-up right in the detention center before being placed in a pretrial detention center. The relevant article has been inserted to the Detention during criminal proceedings Law, the Ministry of Justice said.
The president signed the amendment on Thursday. It was passed by the Legislative Chamber on January 21 and approved by the Senate on March 18. It is aimed at preventing cases of torture in criminal cases.
As per the new article of the law (27-1), a mandatory medical check-up must be carried out within two hours from the moment an individual is taken to the pretrial detention center.
The check must be carried out by a person of the same gender as the person taken into custody. With his/her consent, an attorney may be present during the examination.
A medical certificate shall be issued based on the findings of the examination. If the prisoner has bodily injuries, trauma or wounds, they are subject to being recorded, the information shall be communicated to the detainee himself and immediately transferred to the prosecutor.
When prisoners are transferred to another location or taken out of a pretrial detention facility for procedural actions, they must again undergo a medical examination upon returning to the detention facility.
The amendment will take effect in three months, from September 27.
