A 17-year-old female prisoner who had been put in a punishment cell for a month hanged herself. Three prisoners were under sentence of death. Up to 100 asylum-seekers were held in detention. In September Amnesty International learned of the death in Harku prison of 17-year-old Riina Vallikivi. She had reportedly been placed in a punishment cell in July for one month, despite the fact that she had allegedly attempted suicide on previous occasions and had been diagnosed by prison medical staff as "mentally unbalanced". On 19 August she was found hanged in her cell. Article 67 of the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of Their Liberty prohibits all disciplinary measures constituting cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, "including closed or solitary confinement or any other punishment that may compromise the physical or mental health of the juvenile concerned". Amnesty International learned in March that Sergei Krylov had been sentenced to death the previous year for the crime of aggravated murder. Sergei Krylov and two other men convicted in 1993 (see Amnesty International Report 1994) were believed to be still under sentence of death at the end of the year. Up to 100 asylum-seekers, including children, were detained throughout the year. Their situation remained unresolved at the end of 1994. In September Amnesty International called upon the Estonian authorities to conduct a full inquiry into the death of Riina Vallikivi. The organization urged that such an inquiry should examine, among other things, the order to place her in a punishment cell and her medical supervision during imprisonment. In November the authorities informed Amnesty International that before being placed in a "closed cell" – a punishment allowed by Estonian legislation – Riina Vallikivi had been examined by the medical chief of Harku prison who found her to be "‘mentally unbalanced' but within normal limits". An inquiry into her death was currently being conducted by the prosecuting authorities. In December Amnesty International repeated its concerns and asked for further clarification of the authorities' response. Throughout the year Amnesty International appealed for commutation of the three pending death sentences. In June and September Amnesty International expressed concern to the Estonian authorities that asylum-seekers had not had their need for protection properly considered or been treated fully in accordance with the relevant international standards for the protection of asylum-seekers, including standards providing that asylum-seekers should not normally be detained. In a letter to Amnesty International in October the authorities acknowledged the concerns raised and the need to take steps to address them.

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