(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) held a meeting yesterday with the officers working in the detention centres.

"The objective is to ensure the protection of the human rights of prisoners and detainees," Human Rights department assistant director Lieutenant Colonel Saad Salim al-Dousari said on the occasion.

Act No 26 of 2005 established the Human Rights Department and tasked it with receiving, reviewing and investigating complaints submitted to the MoI by individuals, through visits to penal and correctional institutions, and detention places in the security departments, in order to monitor abuses, if any.

"The Human Rights Department has taken the initiative to develop a monitoring mechanism to conduct surveys at detention places and penal institutions, and to be more adapted to national and international legal standards," the official explained.

He urged the officers to participate in the evaluation of the survey, followed by a discussion of the results to adopt further procedures.

Human Rights Department legal adviser Dr Osama Sabith al-Alousi gave a presentation on the mechanism to monitor and evaluate the human rights conditions of prisoners and detainees.