This petition was submitted to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) by Disability Rights International and the Human Rights Office of the Arch-Bishop of Guatemala requesting precautionary measures, in accordance with article 25 of the IACHR rules of procedure, on behalf 334 children and adults with disabilities detained at the National Mental Health Hospital in Guatemala City (“Federico Mora” hospital). The petition documents the serious risks of physical and psychological harm of those detained at Federico Mora because (1) they are subjected to physical and sexual abuse; (2) they are denied medical care and receive negligent or inappropriate psychiatric and medical treatment which threatens their lives, their health, and their personal integrity; (3) they are exposed to serious and contagious illnesses and infections that, because they are not treated adequately, result in the loss of their life; (4) they are at risk of contracting HIV, a problem compounded by the widespread sexual abuse in the institution; and (5) they are placed in isolation rooms and there subjected to near-total social and sensory isolation, a practice that – when applied to minors and people with mental disabilities – has been recognized by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture as inhuman and degrading treatment or torture.
