They were visited naked hundreds of times over several years. The inmates believe they could be examined without concrete suspicion, for example before and after visits with their children or other family. They are said to have been asked to undress and stand in hockey, coughing and making small movements. The woman was body searched while menstruating, and had to remove the tampon while the prison officer looked on. The inmates have sued the state, because they believe that what they have been subjected to is a violation of human rights. On Tuesday, the trial starts in the Oslo District Court. Inmate: – It hurts to dress naked Among the plaintiffs is a man in his 40s who was strip-searched 500 times when he was an inmate in Bergen prison. – Having to stand in various positions naked, while officers check the seams of the boxers for illegalities is nothing but degrading, he says to news. He says that there were always new people who would see him undressed and vulnerable. – When you sit year after year, without ever being exposed for anything illegal, it hurts to constantly have to dress naked, he says. The three inmates were strip-searched several hundred times in such a room in Bergen prison. Now they have sued the state, because they believe that there may be a violation of human rights. Photo: Bergen prison – Should prevent someone from taking something in. Maria Hessen Jacobsen in Elden Advokatfirma is the lawyer for the three inmates. She believes the strip searches are a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. The reason: They are done routinely, to everyone and without individual assessment. – They had to dress naked and stand in humiliating positions on a slightly too thin foundation, claims the lawyer. The inmates were strip-searched to avoid the smuggling of drugs and other unwanted things or the smuggling of letters. – It was defended as a preventive measure, where it was thought that if you examined everyone all the time, it would prevent someone from bringing something in, she says. Lawyer Maria Hessen Jacobsen at Elden Advokatfirma believes that the state has violated human rights, because they have routinely strip-searched inmates and without concrete suspicion. Photo: Privat Some are victims of abuse Jacobsen has a total of 150 clients who believe they have been subjected to the same. They have not gone to trial, because they do not have enough resources to stand trial for ten days. The naked inspection has been extra burdensome for some. – Some have a background of abuse and trauma. That makes the visit extra invasive, says Jacobsen. She believes that Bergen Prison has received disproportionate criticism, and emphasizes that they are not alone in the practice of strip searches. The trial is not about whether the prison has broken Norwegian law. But it will reveal whether the Norwegian rules surrounding nude searches in Norwegian prisons are a violation of human rights. Will not comment news has been in contact with the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, which does not wish to comment on the matter. – The ministry does not comment on ongoing cases where the state is a party, writes communications advisor Anders Bortne in an email. He emphasizes that the government has taken a number of steps to strengthen correctional services, and is keen to have a set of regulations that secures both inmates and staff in the prisons. Ten days have been set aside for the trial in the Oslo District Court. Since the inmates have sued the state, the trial is in the Oslo District Court. The strip searches they have been subjected to took place over several years in Bergen prison. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB
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Three former inmates in Bergen prison are suing the state after extensive strip searches – news Vestland
