By Blessing Udeobasi
American Singer, R. Kelly has sued the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn for placing him under suicide watch supervision as a punishment when according to him, he is not suicidal.
This is after he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for s3x trafficking and racketeering.
In a legal filing on Saturday, the federal government argued that that case should be dismissed on the grounds that Kelly’s lawsuit “fails to show a substantial likelihood of success for relief”. It also says that the prison plans to keep Kelly on suicide watch, as he meets the relevant criteria for such a move, adding that any decision on the matter should be left up to prison managers.
READ ALSO: R Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison for s3x trafficking
But Kelly’s legal team say that they will continue to fight against the decision. “The irony of putting someone on suicide watch when they’re not suicidal is it actually causes more harm”, Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, tells CNN.
“It’s punishment for being high-profile. And it’s horrifying frankly. To put someone under suicide watch under those conditions is cruel and unusual when they don’t need it”. His attorney added.
