Elderly Prisoner’s Hunger Strike Raises Prisoner Concerns

Atereano Mateariki Annette Sykes | Elderly Prisoner’s Hunger Strike Raises Prisoner Concerns

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Māori lawyer Annette Sykes has expressed serious concerns over the situation of 77-year-old kaumatua Dean Wickliffe, New Zealand’s longest-serving prisoner, who has been on a hunger strike since March 10.

Wickliffe alleges he was assaulted by guards after refusing to be double-bunked at Spring Hill Prison near Meremere.

Sykes warns that his weight loss of 17 kilograms poses a significant health risk.

She asserts that the Department of Corrections cannot deny the mistreatment and notes that an officer involved in the incident has been suspended for further investigation.

This case is prompting calls for urgent reform in the treatment of elderly and vulnerable prisoners in New Zealand.

“We have to spotlight the issues and we need some immediate persuasion to try and get him in the, I think, the comfort of those that he trust. Because he’s certainly not trusting what’s happening to him at the moment,” says Sykes.

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