A male inmate from Mainland China, sentenced to imprisonment for homicide, lost consciousness while taking a shower at the detention zone yesterday (15 July). He was sent to the hospital for treatment but was certified dead later.
The male inmate’s surname Li, aged 47, Mainland Chinese resident, was born in Kaiping, Guangdong. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for homicide in 1995. In February 2000, while serving his sentence, he was given a 15-year sentence for killing another inmate, making his total imprisonment 33 years. According to the Prison’s medical records, inmate Li was suffering from a chronic illness. He commenced his psychiatric treatment in 2003. In 2009, he was diagnosed with chronic nephritis. The deterioration of his kidney function led to illnesses such as renal failure and secondary hypertension. Hence, starting from September 2011, he needed to undergo renal dialysis twice a week at the hospital.
Inmate Li was confined on the single cell floor in Block 7 of the Male Detention Zone. Approximately 5:05 p.m. yesterday, inmate Li suddenly fainted while taking a shower. A foreign inmate witnessed that and called the on-duty prison guard for help. The prison guard instantaneously summoned the prison medical staff to perform first aid, and called an ambulance to transport the inmate to Conde S. Januário Hospital for emergency treatment. The hospital certified his death at 6:27 p.m.. Prison information indicates that there were no anomalies surrounding his death while the cause was yet to be confirmed.
After the incident, prison social workers contacted his family, and would assist with the ensuing formalities and provide appropriate counseling services. Furthermore, the incident has been passed to the Judiciary Police while the Prison will initiate an internal investigation.
In addition, two pregnant female inmates were sent to the hospital on an ambulance in early morning yesterday (15 July) and at the wee hours of today (16 July) respectively. One of the female inmate surname Ning gave birth to a baby girl on 15 July night; both mother and daughter are in good health. The other female inmate, surname Tian, is still in hospital. According to prison regulations, female inmates are entitled to living together with their newborns until they reach three years of age, per the internal regulations and conditions.
