Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán, the Mexican drug capo who is serving a life sentence in a maximum security federal prison in Florence, Colorado, has denounced his treatment in solitary confinement, describing it as “inhuman.”
“(Mr. Guzmán) has been kept in prison in cruel conditions, equivalent to physical and mental torture,” his lawyers said in a statement.
The former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel is confined up to 23 hours a day in a cell measuring two by 3.5 meters. He is allowed out for exercise two hours a week in a tiny prison yard.
In their statement, Guzman’s lawyers said prison officials demand that the inmate address them in English, although he only speaks Spanish. He also claims to have been denied access to Spanish-language reading material and television programming.
Another complaint is that the meal portions served are minimal and of poor quality, and Guzman is frequently left feeling hungry.