Prison director Alexander Dalli has insisted that a so-called stretching rack is only used during prisoners’ warm-up exercises before sports activities, and not as a torture device.
The prison service has for months denied the existence of the rack, a raised rectangular wooden frame with two ropes fixed to the bottom and another two tied to a handle in the top.
“Here at Castle Dalli… I mean Corradino Correctional Facility, we believe in the importance of stretching before a work-out to prevent injury. So before a game of five-a-side football or a session in the outdoor gym, we like to strip the stiffer inmates naked and put them onto our patented limbering machine. It’s like yoga, but less girly” Dalli told Bis-Serjetà, adding that he administered the warm-up himself.
Asked to explain multiple reports of prisoners suffering dislocated arms and legs in recent months, Dalli replied:
“Firstly, that’s none of your god damn business. But if you must know, according to our resident sports scientist, Tomas de Torquemada, people perform physical activities better when their limbs have been ripped from their sockets.”
The director also denied that other devices on the prison grounds were used for torture.
“What has been described as a waterboarding set-up is actually for inmates to do their laundry, while the large coffin-like cabinet with spikes in it, which admittedly does resemble an iron maiden, is used to store kebab meat,” he said.
Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri played down accusations of torture.
“If Mr Dalli says the rack is for warming up then I for one have no reason to believe otherwise,” Camilleri said while holding up a hand-written sign saying ‘Help me’.
