by TeleSur – Global

The decision forces authorities to reopen the files of the inmates and replace pretrial detention with release under bond.

Nearly 400 inmates of Mexico’s Chiconautla state prison will have their cases reopened after winning collective protection for torture and case fabrication.

The petition for collective protection was launched by Jose Humbertus Perez Espinoza, who founded the association Presumption of Innocence and Human Rights to ensure inmates receive due legal process.

The Tenth District Court of the State of Mexico ruled that “the justice of the union will protect” the 396 inmates who denounced anomalies in their cases including fabrication of evidence and producing confessions under torture.

The decision forces authorities to reopen the files of the inmates and replace pretrial detention with release under bond, meaning that the inmates will be freed if they can meet their bail conditions.

The Chiconautla state prison has been consistently denounced for its deplorable living conditions and corruption.

According to La Jornada report, around 50 inmates are typically crammed into cells built for eight. The report also found bribery was rife. Visitors were obliged to bribe prison guards to deliver food to inmates and prisoners were forced to pay for the “privilege” of sleeping on a concrete bed.

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