A/HRC/45/56 32. OHCHR supported the Operation Unchained project, of the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Cambodia, which treats and provides rehabilitation to persons with psychosocial disabilities who are locked up or otherwise physically restrained by family members, in many cases due to stigma and a lack of access to treatment. Through the work of this organization, 78 persons were released and reintegrated into their communities between June and December 2019. D. Supporting prison reform 33. The prison population in Cambodia has continued to increase. Despite overcrowding, the use of alternatives to detention – including the granting of bail, release under judicial supervision, and the imposition of suspended sentences – remains limited. During March and April 2020, OHCHR met with Phnom Penh court authorities to advocate for bail for 25 pregnant women and women with children in pretrial detention. Lacking access to legal aid, the women applied for bail with the support of local NGOs that had developed a simplified bail application form. In a welcome development, 12 women were released from detention, some on bail, and others after their trials had been expedited. OHCHR will continue to advocate for the simplified bail form to be used more broadly. 34. OHCHR continued to monitor places and conditions of detention and the treatment of detainees. The Government did not allow confidential interviews, “in accordance with the Law on Prisons”. OHCHR consistently found that conditions of detention generally fell short of international standards, including with regard to detainees’ access to health care and medical treatment, sanitation, and visits from family members and legal representatives. 35. OHCHR documented three deaths in custody. In two cases, the General Department of Prisons took some corrective measures; authorities, however, found no evidence of torture or ill-treatment. OHCHR is unable to confirm whether those investigations met the principles of independence, impartiality, transparency and promptness. In the third case, which took place in Banteay Meanchey Province in December 2019, two police officers have been charged in relation to the death and remain in pretrial detention. 36. The Police Academy of Cambodia introduced a new module on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in its four-month training for new prison staff. The training, which was delivered by OHCHR, covers the national and international legal frameworks related to detention, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. 37. OHCHR and the National Committee against Torture21 organized four joint awareness-raising sessions for law enforcement and prison officials. Held in Kampong Cham, Kampot, Prey Veng and Svay Rieng Provinces between 24 October and 28 November 2019, the sessions focused on the role and mandate of the National Committee against Torture. In collaboration with provincial prosecutors, OHCHR delivered briefings for law enforcement officials on the prevention of torture, use-of-force violations, and rights upon arrest, in Svay Rieng and Takeo Provinces on 19 and 26 December 2019 respectively. 38. The COVID-19 crisis presented a serious risk to prison populations, especially as chronic overcrowding made physical distancing practically impossible. On 20 March 2020, the Ministry of the Interior temporarily suspended all prison visits as a preventative measure. A subsequent instruction required a 14-day quarantining and isolation of all new detainees. The Government stated that it expedited prosecutorial processes, including the use of bail for minor offences, to ease prison overcrowding. On 6 April 2020, OHCHR, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) sent joint letters to the Ministry 21 8 The national preventive mechanism of Cambodia under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.