Legal Framework

UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules) — Rule 44

Provides the authoritative definitions of solitary confinement (22+ hours daily without meaningful human contact) and prolonged solitary confinement (exceeding 15 consecutive days), which is considered cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Source
https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/Nelson_Mandela_Rules-E-ebook.pdf
Article
Rule 44

Related incidents

1 incident

Updated March 25, 2026 Deportation to Torture
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Active litigation

Guantanamo Bay Immigrant Detention: Solitary Confinement and Torture Conditions

Immigrants transferred to Guantanamo Bay face conditions amounting to torture: 23+ hour solitary confinement, punishment chairs, physical abuse, and incommunicado detention. ACLU and CCR lawsuits …

  • Approximately 500 immigrants transferred to Guantanamo Bay Migrant Operations Center since January 2025, with executive order calling for …
  • Detainees held in solitary, windowless cells for 23+ hours per day, constantly shackled, subjected to invasive strip searches and a …
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