Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s lawyers are claiming the Mexican drug lord’s constitutional rights are being violated because of the harsh treatment the prisoner has received in U.S. prison.
Guzman’s court-appointed attorney wrote a letter to U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan of the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday stating Guzman’s confinement at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center is wreaking havoc on his personal well-being.
“Mr. Guzman is being held under the worst, most restrictive conditions of any prisoner currently detained by the United States government,” public defense attorney Michelle Gelernt wrote in the letter. “Even convicted prisoners held in the notorious federal Supermax in Colorado are allowed to watch television in their cells, exercise outside where they can speak with other inmates, and speak with their families. Mr. Guzman enjoys none of these benefits.”
Guzman was extradited from Mexico on Jan. 20 after escaping two prisons. He is being held in the U.S. for his primary role in a drug war in the Mexico and is under tight security in prison because he is seen as a flight risk.
The prisoner may be “hearing non-existent sound,” according to his attorneys. Guzman is also upset that he does not have access to a Spanish-speaking priest, claiming his religious rights are being suppressed.
“[A]ny interaction he has with ‘religious personnel’ has either been through pantomime or with the assistance of a prison guard who speaks Spanish,” the letter states.
Guzman’s legal team has asked that Amnesty International USA be permitted to inspect the prisoner’s cell to ensure the best possible conditions.
