Detainees were reportedly deprived of running water and medication for more than 24 hours at the Quebec detention facility between Tuesday evening and Thursday during searches to find a weapon.
” There is no water [courante] in our cells, we cannot flush the toilet or brush our teeth or have water to wash our hands”, denounced Wednesday evening Sean, an inmate whose The Press agreed to withhold the real name. “We haven’t received our medicine or our breakfast,” he added.
He is not the only one. All detainees are in the same boat, he said.
“I have clients at the Quebec detention facility who have been locked in their cells since last night (10:40 p.m.), who have been without water since 8 p.m. yesterday and who had only one meal today,” said confirmed Me William Vallée on Wednesday evening. According to the lawyer, the establishment was put “in lockdown complete” because the authorities are looking for a firearm.
the Quebec newspaper reported Wednesday that information has been received on the possible presence of a weapon in the establishment, according to what indicated the Minister of Public Security (MSP). The latter confirmed to The Press “that an operation is underway at the Quebec Detention Facility (EDQ) in connection with information received regarding the possible presence of a firearm in the enclosure”.
“Procedures for this type of situation have been put in place,” it added. “Without going into details for security reasons, let us mention that searches are being carried out. »
“It is not because a firearm is possibly in an establishment that the fundamental rights of inmates no longer exist”, was indignant Me Valley. “I find the situation deplorable. […] EDQ should provide them with water, food, medication immediately. »
The detainees were still confined Thursday morning, according to Me Valley. Sean said in the early afternoon that the running water was turned back on for 20 minutes on Thursday before being turned off again.
Sean said he tried to complain about the situation. When he asked for a form to do so, it was refused.
The establishment refused to answer questions from The Pressdirecting them to the MSP instead.
“For security reasons, we cannot transmit precise details concerning the search, which is still in progress at the EDQ”, simply replied at the end of the afternoon Thursday Louise Quintin, spokesperson for the ministry, in answer to a list of detailed questions.
She neither confirmed nor denied that the detainees were deprived of running water and medication, nor did she explain why this would have been necessary to conduct a search. Same with complaints and other allegations.